Transitions
by Neuropsych
Summary: Changes are coming and the people who love him most are the ones Peter will need the most. This is set in my own AU, so if you haven't read my other stories you might be surprised by some of my relationships. Spoiler, character death
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So, this story is still in my own AU. The subject matter is very much for adults, though, unlike my other two stories. Not so much because of sex, nudity and violence – although with the rating on it, I won't take any of those off the table – but because of the topic of death and dying. It can be upsetting for children and I'd suggest anyone who is letting their younger children read it, read each chapter first just to make sure they can handle it. I love writing angst, but I don't want to make anyone cry who isn't ready for it!_

OOOOOOOO

Stephen Strange looked down at the open file he was holding and felt like someone kicked him in the gut.

"It's Richard Dailey," May said, sitting in the chair across from him, watching quietly as he looked over the file. "I know he isn't _you_ , but from what everyone told me, he's a leading authority."

Strange nodded, unable to look at her just then.

"He _is_."

"I'm not asking for a second opinion," she told him. " _He's_ my second opinion."

"Does Peter know?"

"No. Not yet."

" _Tony_?"

"Just you, so far. I wanted to be sure, obviously."

Strange closed the file and set it on the table beside him with a sigh. Then he closed his eyes and rubbed his face, suddenly feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"I didn't know what to _do_ ," May admitted, sounding distraught and worried, although she was obviously trying to hide it. "Who to talk to, first. It's… I don't…" She trailed off, and he opened his eyes, watching her struggle with something that was so painful she couldn't even articulate it. And he knew May to be extremely articulate when she wanted to be. Tears welled up in her eyes. "When he came to live with me, I promised him that I'd always _be_ here for him… and now I won't be. How do I tell him that?"

"This can't only be about _Peter_ , May," Strange said, handing her a tissue. She was so upset that she didn't even notice when it seemed to appear from out of nowhere. "You're the one who-"

"It _has_ to be about him," she interrupted. "I can't stop what is happening to me, and he's the one who is going to suffer because of it. You know how sensitive he is. From what that file says, in less than a month, I'll be gone, and he'll be alone and forced to deal with it."

A lot less than a month, from what Strange had read.

"He _has_ to be told, May."

"I know."

"And you know he'll never be _alone_."

"I'm not going to see him turn sixteen," she said, wistfully. "Or meet his first crush. Or see him graduate…"

Stephen was silent, aware that she wasn't seeking a response just then.

"How do I tell him?" She asked again, wiping her eyes with the tissue. "You're a _doctor_. Surely you've had to give out bad news. How did you do it?"

"I have to admit that it's not even close to the same thing," he told her. "I was never emotionally invested in the person I was giving the news to. If you want my advice, I'd tell Tony, first. Between the two of you, you know Peter better than anyone, and love him the most. Then you'll know how to tell him."

She nodded, wiping her eyes again.

"Thank you."

He reached over and picked up the file once more.

"If you don't mind… I know that you aren't _asking_ for another opinion, but I'd like to go over these test results."

"Of course. Thank you."

"I don't need to tell you this, but I will. If you need _anything_ , let me know."

"I will."

"Where's Peter?"

"At the compound." She smiled, despite her distress. "Natasha's been teaching him a little karate or something, and he's been practicing every day so he'd be ready to show off what he's learned."

Strange forced a smile that didn't come close to being cheerful.

"Do you want me to call Tony?"

"Please."

OOOOOOOO

"How's he doing?"

Steve Rogers snorted, gesturing at the activity in the gym.

"Are you _kidding_ me, Tony? The kid is ridiculously fast."

"Yeah. But is he any _good_?"

Being fast didn't mean anything if he couldn't use that speed to keep himself safe, after all.

"Are you watching the same people I am?"

They were watching Peter and Natasha spar. The boy had long since gone beyond simple blocking and punching, kicks and lunges, and now the two were going at each other full speed, and neither could land a blow – which was impressive. Not just for Peter, who had an amazing defense thanks to those spider senses of his, but also for Natasha who found that sparring with Peter kept her in top condition. Between the boy and Steve, she had a couple of the best sparring partners she could ever wish for, and was all the better for it.

Then Steve had decided that they needed to make things more challenging for both of them, and had added four guys on the outer perimeter of the sparring mat. These four were standing beside buckets that held baseball sized playground balls. Rubbery and bouncy, they were far from deadly, but the four were throwing them at the two combatants as hard as they could, trying to land a hit in the middle of the bout.

It was awesome to watch the way the two ducked, weaved and turned to avoid a ball while at the same time dodging or blocking a punch or a kick from the other person.

"Give him a few years, and nothing will ever be able to touch him."

Stark felt a surge of pride at that. Before he could respond, though, his watch chimed, notifying him that someone wanted his attention. A quick glance made him smile, and he pressed the appropriate button.

"Stephen. If you're calling to borrow money, I have a couple of cars that need washed."

" _I need you at May's, Tony. As soon as you can make it."_

The smile faded.

"Do I bring Peter?"

" _No."_

Stark looked over at Steve, who hadn't missed the conversation.

"We'll keep him occupied," Rogers said. "Go ahead."

"I'll be right there," he told Strange. And he walked to the entrance to the gym, the Ironman suit already activating.

Steve turned his attention back to the sparring match, but now his expression was worried.

OOOOOOOOO

"You're getting pretty good," Natasha told Peter, putting an arm around his shoulder as they walked with Steve to the lounge.

They'd finished their bout, cooled off and had showered, and now it was time to relax for a while. They had him for the weekend, and Natasha had made sure to clear her schedule to have time to spend with him. Sparring, yes, but also to just be with him. Peter Parker was easily one of her favorite people, and the fact that he could handle himself in a fight with her made it that much safer for her to be close to him.

She didn't have to worry that someone could use a threat to him to hold her sway.

"It's because I have good teachers," Peter told her, pleased at the praise, of course, but proud that he had managed to hold his own with her. He knew how good she was, and loved that she and Steve were always willing to teach him hand to hand.

It made the weekends even more exciting.

"Where did Tony vanish to, Steve?" Natasha asked, wondering why Rogers was so quiet.

She knew him well enough to tell that something was worrying him, but he hadn't said anything, yet.

"Something came up," Steve told her, evasively. "He said he'll meet us later."

He didn't say anything else as they walked to the lounge, and Romanoff wasn't the only one to pick up on his silent concern. Peter kept looking over at him, wondering if there was something bothering him, and if there was anything he could do to distract him.

OOOOOOOO

It was more than an hour later when Tony Stark finally walked through the lounge entrance with Strange at his side. The doctor stopped at the entrance, and Tony went over to the table that Peter, Natasha and Steve were sitting at. Natasha and Peter were playing Battleship, and Steve was watching them, gloomily.

All three looked up when Stark approached, but Peter's automatic smile faltered when he saw Tony's expression. The man's eyes were red, and troubled, and he was obviously trying to hide that he was upset, but was failing.

"What's wrong?" Natasha asked, noticing just as quickly as Peter had.

"I need to borrow Peter for a minute," Tony replied, looking at the boy.

Peter stood up, hesitating, and Stark wondered just how sensitive those spider senses of his were. He knew he wasn't hiding his emotions very well, but did the boy know something bad was coming? How much in advance did the warnings come?

"What's up?" Peter asked, noticing Strange at the lounge entrance, waiting.

"We need to talk," Tony told him, gently. "Let's go to your quarters…"

Peter nodded, and Stark put his hand on the boy's shoulder, steering him toward the exit, and Strange. Natasha looked over at Rogers, her expression somewhat alarmed.

"What's going on?"

Steve shrugged.

"I don't know, Nat, but it's _bad_ , whatever it is. And I think it has to do with his aunt."


	2. Chapter 2

Peter was in his quarters, sitting on his coffee table, facing Strange and Stark who were sitting on the edge of his sofa, both men watching him with sorrow obvious in their expressions, and concern. Neither said anything else, now that he knew. They gave him time to sort out that he'd been told. He stared at Stark, his face pale and his expression confused. They could see that he was dumbfounded by what he'd been told – and neither was surprised.

"I don't understand. _Brain cancer_?"

"Yeah."

"But we just do some _chemo_ , then, and then she has a chance, right?"

It was Strange who shook his head.

"We can't do _chemo_ , Peter," he said, gently. "With the cancer she has, in the _location_ that she has it, the chemo would kill her before the cancer did."

"But…"

He trailed off, looking from Stark to Strange, as though hoping one of them would suddenly admit this was some kind of terrible, terrible prank. Of course, neither of them looked as though they were trying to hide a grin, and he'd never seen either look so serious. They both looked like someone had hit them with a heavy stick right in the gut – or _lower_. It was exactly how Peter felt.

"I'm so sorry, Peter," Stephen said.

Hope flared in him as he realized something else.

"But you're a _brain surgeon_ ," he told Strange. "Couldn't you operate? Cut it out – or _magic_ it out?"

"I wish we could," Strange told him. "But-"

"If it's _money_ , we have-"

"It isn't a question of money," Stephen told him, reaching out and putting his hand on the boy's knee, squeezing it so tightly that it would have hurt – if Peter hadn't felt so numb just then. "You know I'd do anything for you. _Or_ for May."

"Then why-"

"Right now, where the tumor is, it's not hurting her."

"It's _killing_ her," Peter snapped.

"Let him finish," Tony said, his hand going to Peter's other knee.

"It _is_ , you're right. But she won't feel much – if _any_ – pain. If I operate on her and clear it, it's just going to grow back. Maybe there, but _maybe_ in a different area of her brain. One that _will_ cause pain. Or affect her senses, or her ability to speak, or any number of things. I could cut it out again and again, but it's going to come back. In a week, or a couple of weeks. But it won't go away, no matter what I try. It's too aggressive."

"But that's not _fair_ …"

"I know."

"Does she know?"

Strange nodded.

"She's the one who told us."

"But not _me_? She-"

"She wanted to make sure before she said anything to you," Tony told him. "So she asked Stephen to verify what the other doctors have said. Which he did – just _today_."

"How long?"

Strange understood the question, and had to tell him the truth. It would only hurt more if he vacillated.

"Her doctors are telling her a month at the most. From what I saw when _I_ looked at the tests, I'd say two weeks – if that."

He stared at Strange, then looked down at his hands and was quiet for a long moment. Long enough that Tony and Stephen exchanged glances, mirroring the other's concern. Tony tightened his grip on the boy's knee once more.

"Peter?"

"I need to go home," he said, standing up, abruptly. "I need to see her."

Suddenly he was afraid that the worst had happened, even in the short time since they'd seen May, and he had to make sure she hadn't left him. Not yet.

"I'll take you," Strange said, understanding the sudden urgency. It wasn't uncommon and he knew it.

"I'll come, as well," Tony added, looking at Strange. Someone was going to have to make arrangements, and talk to May about a million different things. Ask her what she wanted done.

Peter looked around, but he didn't have anything to take with him.

Strange looked at the boy, and then reached out, putting one hand on each side of his face to force him to look at him.

"She's _afraid_ , Peter," he told the boy. "She's afraid of leaving you after promising you that she wouldn't. I don't know if I should have told you that, but you need to know. This is going to be a difficult time for you – and for _her_. If you need a shoulder, or someone to talk to and if for some reason it can't be _May_ , remember that _we're_ here for you… okay?"

Peter nodded, started to tell him that he was fine, and instead choked on a sob that escaped before he could swallow it. He closed his eyes, trying to look away, the sudden wave of sorrow welling up inside of him surprising him, but not Stephen, and not Tony.

Both men reacted, putting their arms around the boy and supporting him when he suddenly found he couldn't stand on his own. His negligible weight didn't drag them to the couch, but they sat down anyway, giving him what comfort they could as grief washed over him.

He didn't know how long he was there, between the two men who held him with unlimited patience, but he finally could breathe again, and he took a ragged breath before forcing his head up to look at first Strange, and then Stark.

"I'm sorry…"

"For being sad?" Tony asked, wishing he had a wet towel to wipe the boy's face. "Don't _ever_ apologize for that. Okay?"

Peter nodded, and a cold, wet washcloth suddenly appeared in Stephen's hand, which he used to wash Peter's face before the boy could pull away at what would probably be perceived as being babied – but was really just being cared for - and loved.

"When you're ready we'll go to your place so you can see her," Strange told him.

"I'm ready."

OOOOOO

They arrived on the roof of Peter's building, in a small alcove that Strange had used before when going to visit the boy. It was safe enough, and they didn't have any trouble accessing the stairwell from the roof – between Stephen's magical abilities and Stark's Ironman suit.

Peter let them into the apartment, and May was sitting on the sofa when they arrived, a position that reminded him oddly enough of the first time he'd met Tony Stark. He hesitated, feeling one of the men behind him – he didn't know which one – put a comforting hand on his shoulder for just a moment, and then he walked over and sat beside her without a sound.

She didn't look any different than she had the evening before when he'd told her goodbye before going to the compound for the weekend. Before the world had suddenly dropped out from underneath him. She could see in his expression that he knew, now, and her eyes filled with tears. Fear, sorrow, regret. He could see them all in her face, and in her eyes, and he put his head on her shoulder, seeking to give her what comfort he could, and taking whatever she could afford him.

May silently put her arms around him, taking comfort from having him so close and giving it at the same time. She cried, but Peter was once again numb, and he put his arms around her and held her tightly, remembering that at his parents' funeral someone had told him he had to be the strong one. He had to look out for May. Had to be the man of the family, now.

Of course, now there wouldn't be a _family_ for him to be the man of. It was going to be just him.

She was going to leave him, he knew. Just like _they_ had, and there was nothing Peter could do to stop her.


	3. Chapter 3

They sat in silence, even after May's tears subsided, her holding him with her chin resting on the top of his head, her hand ruffling through his hair. Behind them and out of their line of sight – to avoid intruding on what was a very private moment – Strange and Stark were watching, holding silent vigil over them.

"How do you feel?" Peter asked her, finally pulling away enough to look at her.

"A little tired," she admitted. "Aside from that, it doesn't hurt. And from what I understand, I got lucky and it _shouldn't_ hurt."

It was clear to Peter that she was trying to reassure him with the only good news in the entire situation. Which Strange had already explained to him.

"Lucky…" he repeated, softly, reaching out and brushing his fingers against her cheek, an action that made Stark have to choke down a sob of his own.

Strange reached out and rested a hand comfortingly on Tony's shoulder, and he nodded, telling him silently that he was alright. May turned, though, and waved the two men to the other side of the couch so they would be able to see them.

When the two men were seated in the upholstered chairs that flanked the TV, May looked at all three.

"How long do you think I have, Stephen?" she asked him, pointedly.

"Two weeks. Maybe less." He didn't enjoy being the one to cut the time she thought she had in half, and it showed. "I'm _sorry_ , May."

She nodded, taking Peter's hand, either for comfort or to comfort. Or maybe both.

"We need to make arrangements."

"I can contact a hospice facility," Stephen said.

"We can take you back to the compound, and take care of you there," Tony offered.

"No," May told him. "I'd rather be _here_ , where I can be comfortable. And where my memories are the best."

Strange nodded.

"I'll set all of it up. You won't have to worry about anything."

"I _am_ , though," she said. "When I said arrangements, I meant for _Peter_. Not for myself."

"We need to take care of _you_ , May," Peter told her. "I can wait."

She smiled, tenderly, and brought his hand up to brush a kiss against his knuckles, but looked at Tony.

"When Peter's parents… after the plane crash… I was made executor of the estates. All banking assets were consolidated and placed into a trust in Peter's name to hold until he graduated, or turned eighteen. When the settlement with the airlines came through, and the life insurance paid out, _that_ went into the trust as well. With the money the trust has been accumulating, he's set _financially_." She smiled over at the boy. "I wanted to make sure he'd be able to go to school, even if he ended up being less than brilliant."

Peter smiled at that, too. A _broken_ smile, but it was enough for May, who had tears in her eyes once more.

Stark wasn't immune to the scene in front of him, as he'd already proven, and his eyes were red.

"He's smart enough to get into any school he wants to go to, May," he told her. "You _know_ that."

She nodded, and then hesitated, uncertainty in her expression and posture.

"He's going to need a permanent _guardian,_ Tony. Ned's mom would take him if I asked her, I'm sure. He and Ned are like brothers and she likes him. But I… it's a lot to ask, and a lot of _responsibility_ to take on – especially with all the rest of the things you do – but I know Peter adores you, and I was thinking that if the feeling was mutual, maybe you'd be willing to… it'd _only_ be a couple of years-"

"You'd trust me with him?"

"There's no one I'd trust _more_ ," she said with a watery smile. "Except maybe Stephen."

Strange's expression was as bleak as Stark's, and he felt just as flattered to be considered worthy of such a trust.

"I suppose I should have waited until we were _alone_ to ask," May went on. "To avoid putting you on the spot in front of Peter, but I don't have a lot of time, and I can't-"

"I'd be _honored_ , May," Tony interrupted, leaning over and brushing a kiss against her damp cheek. "I'll take good care of him, I promise you."

"I know you will, Tony," she assured him. She looked over a Peter. "Are you alright with that choice? Would you prefer someone else?"

Tears welled in his eyes and Peter shook his head, looking down at his hands. May pulled him back into her arms as he broke down, uncertain what had upset him – the choice, or the ready acceptance by Tony Stark to take him. Either way, it didn't matter. She held him, and looked over Peter's shaking frame to Stark.

"I'll call my lawyer tomorrow, maybe she can meet with yours and get everything arranged for signatures?"

"Mine is used to me calling in the middle of the night. I'll make sure she's ready for the call."

May brushed a kiss against Peter's ear, murmuring soothing noises to him, and rocking him slightly as she did. It was several long minutes before he stopped shaking, and she looked over to Stark, and then to Strange.

"Have you had dinner?"

"No."

"Peter?"

He shook his head, which was still pressed against her shirt.

"I'm not hungry."

"But you'll eat something, right?" May told him.

"If you want."

His aunt took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her as she had so many times since she'd taken him in. Her heart almost broke at the lost, forlorn gaze looking back at her.

"I want you to take _care_ of yourself," she said to him. "I know it's terrible, and I know none of this is fair to you, but you will _not_ let yourself get sick worrying about any of it. Do you understand?"

He nodded, sniffing.

"Promise?"

He shook his head.

"No."

It didn't upset her that he wouldn't lie to her, and she smiled sadly and kissed him soundly.

"Promise to _try_?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you go start dinner?"

"Okay."

Peter stood up, wiping his eyes with his forearm.

"I'll help you, Peter," Strange told him, standing as well. "May? What would you like?"

"There's chicken thawed in the fridge," she said. "I'm not picky."

Strange put his arm around Peter as they went into the kitchen, and Tony moved to take the spot the boy had vacated on the sofa.

"What else can I do?" Stark asked her. "For _you_ , I mean."

"Just help me help him through this."

OOOOOO

There wasn't _that_ much chicken. Not surprisingly since May had been planning on having a simple meal by herself since Peter had been planning on being at the Avenger facility all weekend. Stephen and the boy stood beside each other looking into the fridge at their options, and there weren't many.

The doctor looked over at the boy.

"Not a lot to choose from…"

"No," Peter agreed, wiping his eyes again. "She tends to try something new, it usually doesn't work, and we end up eating out… A lot."

He realized that _that_ was yet another thing that he was going to miss out on in the near future, and his lower lip trembled. He bit down on the tears that were threatening, and Strange wrapped the boy in a hug, well aware that there were going to be a million things that could start another breakdown, and willing to give him whatever support he could.

A far cry from the indifferent doctor he used to be, and he knew it.

"Don't worry, Peter," he told the boy. "We'll turn it into a casserole."

"Do you know how to make a casserole?" Peter asked, pulling his face away from Strange's shirt.

"I don't _need_ to. Trust me."


	4. Chapter 4

"This is amazing."

Strange smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you."

"I didn't even know I had asparagus in the fridge."

"It was in there."

Which was true. To a point.

They were sitting around the table, eating a chicken stir fry instead of a casserole since it turned out that they didn't have a casserole pan to cook one in – and Strange wasn't above magicking up some asparagus to add some extra flavor to their dinner, but summoning a cooking pot that had never existed in the apartment was probably pushing it a little.

May wasn't stupid, after all.

She looked over at Peter, who was picking at his dinner.

"Why don't you go back to the compound?" she suggested, gently. "Nothing is going to happen this weekend, and I don't want you sitting around here, doing nothing but brooding. Time enough for that later."

He shook his head.

"No. I want to be _here_. I want to be with _you_."

"Why don't you _both_ come back?" Tony asked. He wasn't eating any better than Peter had been, and for the same reason. "We'll put you up in the VIP room for the weekend while things get set up here. You can have a mini holiday."

He didn't add _before things get rough_ , but they all knew it was going to be happening soon.

Stephen had explained to Peter – and earlier to _Tony_ – that May's condition was going to deteriorate rapidly. She'd feel fine first, and then would progressively get weaker, until she'd be bedridden. There wouldn't be any pain; she'd just get weaker and weaker until she faded, and then would fall asleep and probably not wake up.

May looked at Peter, but he looked down at his plate, unwilling to make her decision for her and knowing that if she thought he wanted to go back, she would agree to go. He didn't care where they were; he just wanted to be wherever she was.

"It might be just what I need," she told Stark, understanding what Peter was doing, and loving him that much more. Enough that even though she would have liked to have the weekend to herself – and to _him_ – she was willing to do what was probably best for him. That didn't include sitting in the apartment waiting to watch her die. "Thank you."

He nodded, and stood up.

"I'll call Happy to come get us. He should be here by the time we're done eating and you get a bag packed."

Tony excused himself and went into the living room to make the call, and May gave her nephew her best stern look and gestured to his dinner.

"You helped make it, you have to eat it."

Peter nodded and turned his attention to his meal, but he didn't eat very much of it despite her gentle prodding.

OOOOOOOO

When they were done eating, Tony helped Peter do the dishes, while May was hustled into the living room by Strange. He gave her a quick check up, reminding her that it was pretty much his specialty and he'd be there to help stay on top of things unless she didn't want him to do that. She was more than willing, knowing that nothing he did would help her condition, but that it would almost certainly make Peter feel better knowing that she was being constantly monitored.

When he was done, she excused herself to her room to pack an overnight bag and Strange went into the kitchen to watch the others finish the dishes, and Stark looked up from the plate he was drying when he walked in.

"What do you think, Stephen?" he asked. "Do we plan any kind of activities, or do you think she would be better off with just relaxing and nothing on the schedule…"

"I'd say the less fuss the better."

The weather wasn't going to allow for any outdoor activities; it was nearing winter and the rain was cold when it came down, and the clear days held a bit of a chill.

"Peter?"

He'd been only half paying attention to the conversation, zoning out and concentrating on his own inner turmoil. He started, looking up at Tony.

"Yes?"

"Can you think of anything she might want to do?" he asked the boy, sincerely. "Anything she's ever mentioned that was on a bucket list or anything?"

Peter hesitated, but his thoughts were going a mile a minute once and then slowing to nothing and freezing him. Finally he shrugged.

"Let me think about it."

"Okay."

Happy arrived about the same time the last of the dishes were dried and put away, and they all walked down and got into the limousine. Not surprisingly, Peter sat beside May and across from Tony and Stephen. The adults made mostly small talk on the way to the compound, but not surprising any of them, Peter didn't make it to the compound awake.

He'd had a fairly active morning sparring with Natasha, and the tumult of the afternoon and evening caught up to him now that he wasn't doing anything to keep his mind off it. He fell asleep with his head against May, her arm warmly holding him, and her cheek resting against his hair.

"No sense waking him up," May said when they arrived at the compound and Happy pulled the car into the garage area. "I think I'm going to call it a night fairly early."

"I'll carry him up to his room," Tony told her. "Happy will carry your bag to _your_ room. Do you need anything?"

"No. Just some rest. Thank you. For _everything_."

"You're welcome. We'll save breakfast for when you're ready, so don't feel rushed in the morning, okay?"

She nodded, and watched as Tony picked Peter up, gathering him into his arms carefully. The boy roused for just a moment, but a softly whispered reassurance was all it took to put him back to sleep. She and Strange watched as Stark headed for the entrance.

"He's so good with him," May noted.

"It's easy to be," Stephen told her. "He's a great kid. You did an amazing job raising him."

She gave him a sad smile, and leaned against him, for just a moment, accepting the compliment and a little comfort. Strange kept his arm around her.

"I'll walk with you to your room."

"Thank you."

OOOOOOOO

Strange entered the lounge a short time later and found Tony sitting with Pepper on one of the sofas. She had her arms around him, clearly giving him support and comfort of her own after the rough day he'd had. He was leaning against her, while at the same time speaking softly with Romanoff, who had commandeered a soft upholstered chair for herself.

They all looked up at his approach, and Natasha got out of her chair to meet him with a hug, too. One that he needed more than he realized.

"I'm so sorry…" she murmured, pulling him into her arms and resting her cheek against his chest.

"So am I," he said, closing his eyes for a moment and resting his chin on her head. "I can't even begin to relate to what Peter is going through."

"I know."

"Did Tony tell you about the guardianship?"

She nodded and took his hand, pulling him over to the sofa so they could sit down – and she could sit beside him.

"It's a good choice."

"Absolutely," Pepper agreed.

"No reservations?" Strange asked her, his arm still around Natasha, taking solace in her strength.

"None," she said, with certainty. "We'll get him through this, and then we'll make sure he knows how sure we are."

OOOOOOOOO

 _There were people all around him. All of them somber, all of them dressed in black. The same people here now that had been by the graveside when he'd watched his parents' caskets get lowered into the ground and covered with flowers, and then dirt._

" _You have to be strong," they'd tell him._

" _You're the man of the house, now."_

 _Some tried to be cheerful, but many would hold him and cry. He tried to hide from them all. From their words of advice, and from their sorrow. He had enough of his own and couldn't help them with theirs. He didn't know how._

 _She found him huddled in the corner, and sat down beside him, pulling him into her lap and holding him close, rocking him gently._

" _It's okay to be sad, Peter," May told him. "I'm sad, too."_

Peter woke, pulled from the dream by the realization that he suddenly wasn't alone in his room. He lay still, barely awake, and aware that if it had been something dangerous, he'd know it. He turned his head just as she pulled his blankets back and slid under them beside him, and then pulled them up over the two of them.

"She's going to leave me, Natasha," he said, brokenly, turning to face her and automatically reaching for her.

"I know, baby…" Romanoff replied, gathering him into her arms and holding him close. "I'm so _sorry_."

"I can't be strong."

"You don't _have_ to be," she assured him, pressing her cheek against his. "We'll be strong for you."

Peter broke down, weeping into her collarbone; the fear and the sorrow and all the unfairness of everything he was facing soaking her shirt as he clung to her like a lifeline against it all. For her part, Natasha did exactly what he needed her to do. She held him until he fell asleep, exhausted, and then continued to hold him until she fell asleep as well.


	5. Chapter 5

Natasha was still in his bed with him when Peter woke up the next morning. It was a soothing way to come back to a reality that was anything but, and her arms around him gave him a chance to ground himself before he even opened his eyes. Her hold tightened on him when she felt him wake, and she was watching him when he opened his eyes.

Peter blinked owlishly a couple of times, and sighed, still somewhat more asleep than awake, but aware that he wasn't going to go back to sleep, no matter how warm and comfortable he was just then. And he definitely was. He moved his head enough to allow him to look into Natasha's warm gaze and she brushed her hand along his cheek.

"Good morning."

"Hi."

If he'd found himself waking in a similar position with any other woman he'd have been blushing furiously and he knew it. He didn't know why he was able to be so intimately close to Romanoff and not feel awkward about it. He wasn't, though. And she was always willing to tuck herself right up against him without hesitation, too. Peter loved her for that. For that and a million other reasons. None of which had anything to do with the fact that she was beautiful. That was just a bonus, really.

"Going back to sleep?" she asked him, breaking into his reflections with another gentle caress.

"No. I should get up."

The crushing grief from the night before wasn't as heavy now, and while he wasn't exactly _happy_ – he was pretty sure that he'd never be happy again – he didn't feel as though the weight of a million worlds was smothering him just then, either.

"I should, too," she agreed. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his forehead, holding the position for a long moment before pulling back. "Do you need anything?"

Peter shook his head and tightened his own hold on her a moment before releasing her completely and accepting that he couldn't stay where he was and hide from what was happening. He did feel a little more prepared to handle the day ahead of him, though, thanks to her.

"Thank you," he told her, sincerely. "I needed this."

She nodded.

"I know. _I_ did, too," she admitted with a somewhat sad smile. "If I need it again I can come find you, right?"

"Always."

"And you know that works both ways…?"

"Yeah."

He did, too.

"Good." She tossed the blankets back. "I'm going to go get ready for my day. Meet you in the lounge when you're ready?"

"Okay."

He watched her get out of his bed and leave his room, hearing the door to his quarters close behind her, and then sighed again and got up. A hot shower and a change of clothes and he'd be ready to face whatever may come at him that day.

And he wanted to talk to Mr. Stark. He had an idea about something May might enjoy – if it wouldn't be too much of an undertaking.

OOOOOOO

May was seated at the corner table with Pepper and Tony when Peter walked into the lounge. They had a deck of cards and he saw that they were playing cribbage when he came over to join them. She looked up and put an arm around him, smiling tenderly up at him when he leaned over and kissed her temple in greeting.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"Hi."

"How'd you sleep?"

"Like a log. I don't even remember getting here last night."

"Because you fell asleep before we left the city," Stark told him, studying him without the boy knowing it. He looked a little better that morning. The initial shock was gone, but there was a hurt in his expression that Tony knew wasn't going to be expunged any time soon. He understood completely, and would do whatever he could to help the boy.

"I must have been tired," he said, sitting down to join them.

They all knew why, but none of them said it.

"Want to play?" Pepper asked.

"No, thanks."

"Peter doesn't _understand_ cribbage," Tony told her. "For a smart guy, it's uncanny how baffled the game makes him."

"Because it doesn't make any _sense_. Fifteen five, fifteen ten… what? Just say one, two, three…"

"Don't worry, Peter," Pepper assured him. "Tony gets baffled every time you beat him at chess."

"The word is not baffled," Stark said. "But I cannot repeat it in mixed company." He winked at the boy. "When I've finished schooling these two lovely women, we'll have breakfast."

"No rush."

OOOOOOOO

By the time the card game was over – Pepper won – Natasha and Steve had both joined them at their table. Rogers ruffled Peter's hair as he sat down and Natasha's hand brushed his shoulder. May watched it all with a bittersweet feeling of surety. The very way that the people around him were subtly bolstering him when he obviously needed it was proof that she'd chosen the right guardian for him.

Stark had actually been her second choice, behind Stephen. Both were bachelors, true, but Strange was a _doctor_ , and a bit more stable as far as she was concerned. Tony Stark was a _superhero_ and she knew he'd been a bit erratic in the past, which had made her hesitate. But only for a short time.

Peter _loved_ Tony Stark, and May knew it. Even before the internship had come up, she hadn't been able to go a few days without the boy telling her some interesting news story about Stark, or Ironman, or the Avengers, and that had been the deciding factor. She'd wanted what was best for Peter, and that was almost certainly Tony Stark.

They had breakfast in the lounge – Tony went to order for all of them and Peter joined him when he did. May saw her nephew look over at her while he and Tony were standing at the bar, and she smiled at the way Tony almost automatically rested his hand on Peter's shoulder.

Pepper followed her gaze.

"He loves Peter," she said, softly, so only those at the table could hear. "You _know_ that, right?"

May nodded.

"Yeah. It's definitely mutual, too. I'm glad. He's going to _need_ that, when the time comes."

"We'll take care of him, May," Steve promised her.

She nodded, accepting that for the truth. Of course, it was _Captain America_ telling her that, so how could she doubt him? Then she saw Tony frown at something Peter told him, and then both of them looked over at the table for a moment, and then at each other. And the silent conversation grew a little more animated.

"Uh, oh," Pepper said.

"What?"

"They're plotting something."

May decided that she was right. She didn't read Stark well – and now she wouldn't have a chance to get better at it – but she could read Peter like a book, and that book was definitely discussing something that had nothing to do with what kind of syrup was going to be served with their pancakes.

The conversation ended with Tony talking into his watch for a minute, and then the two of them rejoined the others at the table.

"What was that all about?" Pepper asked, when Stark sat down.

"What?"

"Don't _what_ me," she said. "What were you two talking about?"

"Peter insisted on ham, and all we have is bacon."

She looked over at the boy, but he was studiously polishing his fork with his napkin and refused to look at anyone, well aware that all of them could have pried the secret from him with ease and unwilling to give anything away.

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Because you know me so _well_ ," Tony told her, leaning over and kissing her cheek before changing the subject. "May? We're going to be forced to keep you overnight. I hope you don't have anything planned for this evening that you can't change."

She shook her head, glancing at Peter, who was still polishing his fork. It was a school night, of course, but she had no intention of sending him to school the following day, anyway. He'd most likely refuse to go, and there was no way he'd be able to focus, she knew. Better to keep him out for the duration, and let Tony decide when he was ready to go back.

The thought made her sad, but she hid it with a smile.

"I think I can manage."

"Good."


	6. Chapter 6

It was as relaxing a day as one could want. After eating breakfast they gathered near one of the televisions in the lounge, sitting on sofas that were moved to accommodate all of them, and watched football. May enjoyed pro football even more than Peter did, and Steve was an avid fan. With the streaming technology in the compound they had their choice of any game they wanted to watch, and several screens to watch them on.

They weren't the only ones watching; there were several more sofas added as the morning went on so that those others who wanted to watch could do so with comfort. Bowls of popcorn, chips, nuts and every kind of snack one could want were passed around, and of course with the bar right there it wasn't hard to find a beer when somebody wanted one.

May sat in the middle of one of the sofas, with Natasha on one side and Steve Rogers on the other. Pepper sat on the other side of Natasha, but Peter and Tony were on the far side by necessity. They kept getting up and leaving the room without mentioning where they were going. As much as May wanted _Peter_ sitting beside her, she enjoyed the company of the others and suspected that he and Stark were working on whatever it was they were plotting, so she didn't make a fuss about it.

Lunch was pizza, which was eaten in front of the TVs without missing a beat – or a snap, in the case of the football games. May knew for a fact that there wasn't a Pizza Hut within fifty miles of the compound and wondered if Tony had gone to get it in his Ironman suit, or if he'd somehow managed to have them deliver the pizzas uncooked and had then had them baked in the commissary to make sure they were hot and fresh when brought into the lounge. Either way, it went well with the beer she was drinking and she couldn't complain about the company she was keeping.

Natasha and Steve were betting, not just on the _games_ , but sometimes on individual plays, which amused May to no end. She found herself continuously brought into the conversations about the plays, until she was betting, too. All things considered, she had a very good time, and knew it had been a much better idea than staying home and sitting alone in her place.

Sometime around 5 o'clock Peter finally settled in between May and Natasha to watch the last quarter of the game they were watching. May reached up and brushed a hand along his jaw, lovingly.

"Where have you been?"

"Talking to Mr. Stark."

"Did you eat?"

"Not yet."

"You should have something."

"I will," he promised, taking her hand and holding it. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine."

"Do you need to take a break?"

"No. Don't worry, Peter. I'm okay."

Natasha and Rogers exchange a glance over their heads, well aware that it wasn't the first time those two would probably be having that particular conversation in the near future.

"Okay."

When the game ended, the others all started to wander off to take care of whatever they needed to do to get ready for the upcoming work week. Steve and Natasha left as well, telling them they'd see them at dinner, and eventually Peter was alone with May, who was well aware that she wasn't going to have to worry about getting ready for work again. The realization made her sad, and afraid, and she tightened her hold on Peter's hand, looking over at him.

"I love you."

He bit his lower lip, and she saw his eyes start tearing up – which of course made hers do the same thing.

"I love you, too, May."

He leaned against her, his head on her shoulder, and she put her arms around him, holding him as she had a million times, but now aware that there were only so many more days to do this, and savoring the position all the more because of that realization.

After a few minutes, she ran her fingers through his hair.

"What were you and Tony doing?"

"It's a surprise."

"You can tell me," she teased, trying to change their mood. "I won't tell him you told."

"Nope. I'm _sworn_ to secrecy."

She started to say more, but Happy suddenly joined them.

"You're needed in your room, May."

She frowned.

"What?"

"They need you in your room."

"Why?"

He shrugged.

"They tell me to come get you, I come get you. I'm _beyond_ asking why they do the things that they do around here. Are you coming? Or do I pick you up and carry you?"

She looked over at Peter, who shrugged, giving her a look that she knew was supposed to be innocent and curious, but actually looked a little excited, and she realized it was part of whatever the surprise was.

"I'll come peacefully."

She stood up and Happy offered her his arm with a flourish.

"Peter?"

"I'll meet you later," he promised.

She went with Happy. Peter waited until they were gone, then he got up and headed for his own quarters to change.

OOOOOOOO

"Are you _kidding_ me?"

"Nope. We dress for dinner around here."

She held up the bathing suit and the wrap that had been sitting on her bed when Happy escorted her to her room. The suit was bright red, and the wrap was a beautiful floral print that made her think of the tropics.

"In _this_?"

"Depends on the dinner," he conceded.

"Where's _yours_?"

Now he smiled.

"Under my suit."

"I hope you're joking."

"Get dressed," he told her without answering. "Then I'll escort you to dinner."

He left, closing the door behind him, and she shook her head and looked at the bathing suit. Things were never dull around here, she had to admit.

OOOOOOOO

"This was a good idea," Natasha said, looking around the gym.

It didn't look like a gym just then, however. True, there were two basketball hoops, and yes, there were many windows covered with protective bars to keep the glass from being broken by an errant ball, but aside from that the room had been transformed.

Now the entire floor was covered in a six inch layer of white sand, and the walls were covered with artificial palm fronds, or bright yellow paper, giving it a look that was far brighter than the dreary gray that was actually outside just then. There was an electric barbeque that was designed to look far more Polynesian than it really was, and there was traditional music being broadcast through the speakers. There was even a little blue inflatable swimming pool for people to dip their feet into if they were so inclined.

The volleyball net was up, but those who were playing were using an inflated beach ball rather than an actual volleyball, and each side of the gym featured a couple of tables loaded with food and drinks of all kinds.

Steve nodded his agreement.

He was dressed in a pair of bright blue shorts and wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt with red and white flowers splotched all over it, clearly matching the theme of the dinner. Around his neck was a lei of red, white and blue flowers.

"Yeah. How did they come up with it?"

Natasha had a bathing suit on, with a wrap around her waist, going barefoot in the sand and enjoying the sensation. Her lei was multicolored flowers, with the occasional feather just for good measure.

"Apparently Tony discussed taking Pepper and May to Hawaii for Winter break with Peter. Since _that_ isn't going to be an option, now, this is the next best thing."

Clint Barton walked over to stand by them, wearing similarly festive apparel but unable to hide the sadness in his expression. He'd only arrived back at the compound that afternoon and had been told what was going on. He genuinely _liked_ May, and was devastated for Peter.

"Looking good, Barton," Natasha told him, brushing her hand along his shirt, ostensibly to straighten a crease, but really to comfort him, "You should wear flowers more often."

"So my wife tells me…" He looked over to the barbeque. "How much fast talking did it take to get Strange into that outfit?"

Natasha and Steve followed his gaze. Tony Stark was manning the barbeque himself. Dressed in floral shorts and bare chested with a bright green lei around his neck, he was showing Peter the best way to cook on a grill. The boy was wearing surfer shorts and was also bare-chested, his lei hung down behind him, more like a cape.

Standing to the side of the grill, Stephen Strange was holding a drink and talking to May. She was dressed like Natasha, and Strange was wearing khaki shorts and an open Hawaiian short that was black with brilliantly colored flowers all over it. He didn't have a lei on, but there was one hanging over his shoulder.

"None," Romanoff said. "He didn't even argue about it when I suggested it."

OOOOOOOO

It wasn't the most festive of parties. With what was looming over them, it couldn't be cheerful, really. But they all made a good effort at things. Barton was more quiet than usual, and didn't even tease Peter about the bear claw scars on his side as he usually did whenever he saw the boy without a shirt. Strange sat beside Natasha, barely touching his dinner and brooding, lost in his own thoughts – the thoughts of a doctor who was supposed to be able to do anything, but in this case couldn't. Romanoff would brush her fingers against his arm, or along his knee, jerking him back to the present, but once they changed to a different topic, he'd fall back to his brooding once more.

Peter sat near May the entire evening, only leaving her side to bring her something to eat, or to get her something if she asked for it. She was having a great time, she assured him, but he thought that she looked tired, and he didn't want her on her feet if she didn't need to be.

Toward the end of the night, May asked Peter to bring her a drink and when he was out of earshot, she told Stark that her lawyer had called and left her a message, agreeing to meet his at the tower the next morning to sign the custody papers that would make Tony Peter's guardian. She wanted the most important things to be taken care of before she started to fade, and that was obviously what needed to be done, first.

"Where is he going to live?" she asked. "Here?"

Tony shook his head.

"It's too far away from the city to be practical for school. Besides, we're usually at the tower during the week anyway. He'll have his rooms here, of course, but I've already arranged a suite to be set up for him at the tower as well."

"You're not going to let him _spoil_ Peter, are you?" May asked Pepper.

She smiled, and shrugged.

"It'll probably be _me_ that needs to be kept on a tight leash in that department," Pepper admitted.

Peter returned with her drink, then, and May changed the subject to something that would be less upsetting for him, wanting to keep the evening as light as possible for him, at least. Eventually, she fell asleep, almost in the middle of a conversation with Steve and Tony. Peter looked over at Strange, alarmed, and he shook his head.

"It's nothing, Peter," he assured the boy. "It's just because she had a long day, nothing more."

Strange stood up.

"I'll put her to bed, and join you guys in a bit."

"I'll take her," Peter said, also standing up.

He reached down and carefully scooped May up, gathering her into his arms and holding her easily, reminding them all just how strong he was considering how scrawny he looked – especially shirtless.

"I think we'll be in the lounge," Stark told them, looking around.

The Luau had been a hit, but people had to work the next day and the gym was emptying out. Besides, the chairs and sofas in the lounge were more comfortable than sitting on the floor, even with cushions.

"We'll meet you there."

Strange walked with Peter to May's room, pulled the blankets back for the boy and watched him tuck her into her bed, pressing a kiss against her cheek before they left, turning the light off behind them.

"She seemed to have had a good time," the doctor said as they walked down the corridor.

"Yeah, she did. Thanks for helping set it up."

That much sand never would have been available without a little help, after all.

"Don't let me forget to clean it out, okay?"

"Okay."

In midstride, Strange lost his Hawaiian attire and was once again dressed in a suit.

"The hospice is all set up, Peter," he told the boy. "They're going to take care of May when she becomes too weak to take care of herself; things that she would probably prefer you not help with, like feeding her, cleaning her and the bedding, that sort of thing."

"How long until she gets to that point?" he asked, needing to know even though he dreaded the response.

Stephen stopped in the corridor, not wanting to have the conversation they were having while walking.

"It really depends," he admitted. "It could be next week, it could be tomorrow. It isn't the same every time, with every person, so I couldn't honestly give you an exact timeframe."

The boy nodded.

"Okay."

"You know I'm here for you, right?"

"Yeah."

"For anything."

"I know. Thanks."

Strange sighed, and the boy stepped forward and hugged him, suddenly realizing that it was the _doctor_ who needed the comfort that he was offering to Peter. It made sense; he could do magic, and he was a crazy famous brain surgeon and despite all of that he couldn't save _May_ , no matter what mad skills he possessed. Being helpless - and hopeless - was not something that he was used to dealing with.

"I'm sorry, Peter…"

"It's okay," Peter told him, trying to think of any way he could make Strange feel better about the situation, but coming up blank. It wasn't a situation that could be made better. Instead, he simply held him, the same way he'd been held, and reminded the doctor silently that he wasn't alone, and didn't have to do everything himself.

The benefit of being part of a team - whether Strange considered himself part of that team or not.


	7. Chapter 7

Peter wasn't at the meeting that transferred his custody from his aunt to Tony Stark. He was in the _tower_ , but not in Pepper's office, where the papers were being signed. _He_ was in his new rooms – or what would be his rooms once May was gone – and hadn't wanted to go to the meeting. They didn't make him go, either. They left him sitting on his new bed – a bed that was even bigger than the one in his quarters in the Avenger's compound – and Stark told him to go ahead and look around. They'd be back as soon as they were done and could go have lunch before taking him and May home.

It _was_ a nice room, he had to admit. Not that he was surprised. As Clint had told him once, Tony Stark didn't do subtle very well. The room had a huge window that looked out over the city – although it was shaded at the moment – and a TV on the wall with video games streaming so he didn't even need a console. A dresser, a closet, and also like the room in the compound, a mini fridge, which at the moment was empty.

The living area was similar to the one at the compound, too, only this one had a pinball machine to add to the video games and the television on the wall. He supposed that he didn't really have to worry about keeping his neighbors awake here in the tower, since he didn't have any neighbors. Tony and Pepper's rooms were on the same floor, but on the other side of the building.

There was also a desk, which held a computer that was connected to the tower's network, affording him access to anything he'd possibly need. Of course, Peter still had the occasional visit from the Mind stone when it came to information he was trying to understand. It didn't happen often, but it was there every now and then. Ned would love the network, and was certainly going to want to try it out as soon as he found he could access it.

At the moment, though, Peter was ambiguous about the whole thing. The idea of living here, with Stark and Pepper, was something he'd never considered and something that would be incredible, especially having access to Tony Stark and all his tech and his abilities, but the cost of that access was so much more than Peter wanted to pay.

He got up and went to the bedroom window.

"Shades."

The blinds vanished at the command, offering him an amazing view of the city below him, and he leaned against the glass, watching traffic and pedestrians but not really seeing them. His mind was a million miles away, and his thoughts were troubled.

He'd gone to bed in his rooms at the compound and had woken up in the sand, sprawled on the floor of the gymnasium. Obviously he'd done some sleepwalking, but most of the time that usually meant he'd just end up in Natasha's quarters, as if his sleepy mind was well aware that she was the solace that he needed. Of course, he'd ended up in the _field_ before, also, so clearly there were other ideas in play, too. He didn't know, and he wasn't going to mention it just then.

The last thing May needed was to worry about him.

"Peter?"

He jumped, startled, and turned away from the window. Pepper was at his door, and she smiled, apologetically.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay," he told her, feeling foolish. "I was daydreaming."

Pepper came over to stand by him, looking down at the view, and putting her arm around his waist.

"They're done. Do you feel up to eating something before we take you and May home?"

He nodded.

"Sure."

They walked out of his rooms and headed for the elevator.

"Tony and May are meeting us in the garage."

"Okay."

She looked over at him.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded.

"Just tired, I think. I didn't sleep well last night."

It was as close as he'd come to admitting that there was an underlying issue.

"Need to talk about it?"

He hesitated, and then shook his head. _She_ had enough to worry about, too. It might be Tony Stark's name on his guardianship, but Pepper was taking on a lot of responsibility, too, and he knew it. And he appreciated it.

"No. Just stressed, I suppose."

She hugged him as they rode the elevator down to the underground floors.

"I know. I'm sorry you're having to deal with all of this. Just remember that we're here for you, okay?"

"Thanks, Pepper."

She kissed his cheek, and let him go just as the doors opened. Tony and May were standing near the entrance, and May gave him a watery smile, obviously affected by the transfer of guardianship, as well.

"Ready to eat?"

"Yeah."

OOOOOOOOO

The apartment was changed. His room was the same, and May's room was the same. The bathroom now had safety rails put up around the toilet and shower, so May would have something to steady her if she suddenly felt weak. The couch was gone, replaced by a bed. Not a hospital bed, which Strange had felt would be unnecessary. Instead it was a bed similar to the one in Peter's quarters in the Avenger's compound. Bigger than a twin, but not by too much, to afford space in the room for the chairs to remain. The bed adjusted at the head and foot to allow May to be out in the living room when the time came that she had trouble moving from room to room.

Tony had had a flat screen TV installed on the wall to allow more space on the floor, and giving that space to a table that rolled. One that would come in handy later.

Peter and May both looked around when they entered the apartment, and the boy closed the door behind them.

"Home sweet home," May said, well aware that what she was seeing now would be the last things that she ever saw.

Peter was aware of that, also. Of the finality the events of the morning and the change in furnishings in the apartment heralded. He bit his lower lip, trying to keep it from trembling, and tried to choke down a sob so she wouldn't know how upset he was.

"I'll put your bag in your room," he told her, walking past her and putting a hand on the edge of the new bed, and stopping.

The bed she was going to die in.

"Ned and his mom are coming over later," she said, watching him, and worrying. He seemed so distraught and had been very quiet during lunch.

"Okay."

"I'm going to take a nap…"

"Okay."

"On a bed of nails."

"Okay."

"In Texas."

"Yeah."

"Peter?"

He turned, his expression bleak, and she opened her arms to him, an invitation to be held if that was what he needed. Which he accepted immediately. She wrapped her arms around him and held him while he cried, and forced down her own tears, concentrating on him and his needs for now.

"I'm sorry," he whispered against her neck.

"For what? Being upset?"

He nodded.

"It can't be about me, May. _You're_ the one that… that…"

He couldn't say it. And _wouldn't_ say it.

"I'm the one dying," she murmured. "But you're the one that has to go on. Like you and I both had to when your mom and dad died. When my brother died. Do you think it was easier for them, or for us?"

"Them."

"The only positive to any of this is that unlike _that_ time, I know it's coming, and I can do everything that I can to prepare you for it – and I can spend time with you before it happens."

"I don't _want_ you to leave me," he told her, his voice breaking.

"I know, Peter… I'm so sorry."

They sat on the new bed and she held him while they both cried. Eventually, she fell asleep in his arms, worn out by the events of the day and the release of so much sorrow. Peter held her while she dozed in his arms for a long time. Then he picked her up and carried her into her room and put her in her bed so she'd be more comfortable. He covered her warmly with a blanket from his bed, and went into the living room.

He sat by the window and watched the traffic and the pedestrians, but once again, he wasn't really paying attention to them.


	8. Chapter 8

Ned looked around at Peter's bedroom, and then sat down and looked at his friend mournfully.

"I'm really going to miss May."

Peter nodded.

"Me, too."

"Remember when she took us to the library?"

"When we set it on fire because you wanted to try smoking that cigarette butt you found, you mean?"

"Yeah. Man, she was _mad_."

"Yeah."

Ned sighed.

"You're _really_ going to be living in the tower?"

"Yeah. I went there today to see my room. _Rooms_. They're a lot like the ones at the compound."

"My mom said May was thinking about asking Dr. Strange to be your guardian instead of Mr. Stark. Then you'd probably have ended up living in the sanctum."

"Oh yeah?"

That was the first Peter had heard of that, but he could understand why. Strange would have seemed to be a good choice, too, he knew. But he probably wouldn't have had the time that would be required. May didn't know he was a _Master of the Mystic_ _Arts_ , after all. He definitely had better things to do than finish raising a teenager. Of course, _Tony Stark_ probably did, too, for that matter.

"Yeah. That's what she said. She also said I'm not supposed to say anything that will upset you. So if I do, sorry."

"A lot of things have been upsetting me lately," Peter admitted.

"How long…" Ned started to ask, and then hesitated, pretty sure that one would fit the category.

Peter shrugged.

"A couple of weeks."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

"I'd be in pieces, if it was me."

"Yeah."

"Anything I can do?"

"No. There isn't anything _anyone_ can do."

"Strange can't magic it all better?"

"I already asked. He said no. It would just come back."

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

"I'll still get to _see_ you, right?"

"Yeah." Peter was touched by the question. "I'm not changing schools. That's why I'm going to be living at the tower, instead of the Avenger's facility."

"Are you still going to be Spiderman?"

"Yeah."

"In Manhattan?"

"No. Here. They don't need me like Queens does."

"Yeah."

Peter hesitated.

"I think I'm going to tell May who I am, though."

" _What?"_

"Shhh! Keep it down."

"Are you out of your _mind_?"

"She should know."

"Bullshit. She's got enough to worry about, without worrying that you're going to get killed swinging around town some night and finding yourself on the wrong side of a bullet or something."

"The new suit is bulletproof."

"Fine. On the wrong side of a _tank_ , then. Is it _missile_ -proof?"

"I doubt it."

"You can't tell her, Peter."

"I think I _have_ to, Ned."

"Then what? She tells my mom and I get into trouble."

"For _what_?"

"For not telling her I know who Spiderman is."

"What?"

"Dude, she's _totally_ into Spiderman. Has you pegged as a lot older, and just needing the right woman to settle you down – _train you up right_ is the way she puts it. You come out, and I'm a dead man for not telling her you're Spiderman."

"I'm not coming _out_. I'm just going to tell May. And I'll tell her not to tell anyone."

"That's it. I'm a dead man."

"Shut up, Ned."

"Seriously. _I would like to have seen Montana…"_

Peter rolled his eyes as his friend quoted one of his favorite lines from his favorite movie.

"Let me think about it."

"Okay."

Ned and his mom stayed for dinner – which his mom had made at her home and brought with them. She spent a lot of time with May, and Peter was glad for that because she was probably a better visitor for his aunt than he was. At least she wasn't crying all over her every time she turned around or said something. He was also glad to have spent some time with Ned. Besides being his guy in the chair, Ned was his best friend and he had a common sense about him that helped keep Peter grounded in this reality. Especially when things were going wonky around him.

Which this situation definitely qualified as.

They didn't stay too late, though. Despite her nap, May looked tired, and they didn't want to keep her from her rest. She told May and Peter that she'd bring over some meals to put in their freezer, and was planning on baking cinnamon rolls and would bring some of them over as well. Then they left, and May sat at the table while Peter put away the last of the dishes that he and Ned had done after dinner.

"How do you feel?" he asked, closing the cupboard and resting his hand on her shoulder.

"A little tired." She gave him a slight smile, and patted his hand. "It was a long day, don't look so worried."

Of course, she'd had a nap already, so he didn't think she should be that worn out – and it _did_ worry him.

"Why don't you go lie down? I can turn off everything."

"Turn off everything and then come keep me company…"

"Okay."

Ten minutes later she was in bed, and he was sitting beside her, his head resting on her shoulder.

"I'm going to miss times like this," she said, softly, reaching for his hand.

"Me, too."

"I was making a mental list of the things I won't get to see."

"Like what?"

"Your sixteenth birthday, for starters. I had a pretty good party planned out, you know? Nothing like the one you guys threw me, but it would have been fun."

"Strippers?" Peter asked. "Beer?"

She chuckled.

"Pony rides and clowns with balloon animals, young man."

He smiled.

"What else?"

"It would have been fun to see you get your driver's license. I'll have to remind Tony that he's going to need to teach you to drive. Or maybe have Stephen do it. I've _seen_ Tony drive."

Peter shook his head, but if she didn't know about Doctor Strange's accident, he wasn't going to tell her about it.

"Happy might be the better choice."

"And your first crush… I wonder what she will look like."

"I'm pretty sure you've already seen her," Peter admitted.

"What? Who?"

"Natasha."

May looked over at him, surprise and amusement warring in her expression. Both were better than anything else.

"She's too old to be a crush."

"I don't think they work that way, May. Age probably doesn't matter when it comes to crushes."

"Of course they do."

"Who was _yours_?"

"My 8th grade science teacher. Mr. Kingston. He was…" she trailed off. "Maybe age _doesn't_ matter," she conceded.

Peter smiled.

"I should tell Tony to get you a dog."

"What? _why_?"

"Too keep you from being alone all the time."

"I don't need a dog, May," Peter told her, kissing her cheek and keeping his voice as steady as he could. "I'm not going to be alone, remember?"

"Are you sure? I happen to know a place with a lot of puppies running around. One could probably be bought…"

"Yeah, no, May. I wouldn't know what to do with a dog, and they're a lot of work – and messy."

"Is there _anything_ you want?" she asked. "Something I can get you? I hate to call it a goodbye gift, but something you want and were afraid to ask for because it was too outrageous…? And don't tell me you need a new backpack."

He smiled, sadly, resting his head back on her shoulder, the conversation too surreal to be believed.

"I can't think of anything," he told her, truthfully. "You've given me everything I could have ever asked for."

"I tried to make you happy."

"You did."

She fell asleep, then, and he held her for a while as she slept, thinking about the conversation that they'd had and all the things she was going to miss. He didn't want there to be any regrets on his end. At least, not when it came to things that he could have done, or in his case, that he could have _told_ her. He finally let her go and carefully went back into the living room, closing the door to her room softly behind him.

He went to his room, but was restless and didn't want to stay still – and he knew he wasn't ready for bed, even though he felt exhausted and completely wrung out. He got up and went back into the living room, looking out the window and wondering if a little web swinging would help him lose the edgy feeling he was having.

Something between his spider senses and his own imagination was making him agitated and he wondered if it was an advanced warning that maybe he'd sleepwalk or something – and something bad might happen. It _was_ possible, he knew, and looking back on it, probably something he should be worrying about. He probably should have said something to someone – not _May_ , of course – he wasn't going to add anything to her plate, but if-

His watch chimed, softly, pulling him from his thoughts, and he looked down at it, wondering who would be wanting him at this hour.

"Mr. Stark?"

" _Hey. Are you awake?"_

"Yeah."

" _Then come open the door."_

"What?"

" _Open your door."_

He moved from the window to the door and opened it. Sure enough, Tony Stark was standing there, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked as Stark walked into the apartment. He didn't seem agitated, but Peter couldn't think of any reason he'd be there otherwise.

"Nothing," Tony assured him. "We just got to thinking that with everything going on and all, it might not be a bad idea to have someone here with you at night. So we drew straws, and I won."

"Oh."

The edginess he'd been feeling melted away, and he closed the door.

"I hope you don't mind."

"No."

"Is May asleep?"

"Yeah."

"Let's get _you_ to bed, too. You're going to need to sleep when you can."

"I'm a little old to be tucked in, you know?" Peter reminded him.

Stark gave him a wry smile, and put his arm around his shoulder, steering him toward his bedroom door.

"We'll skip the goodnight kiss, I promise."

He didn't, though. Once Peter was in bed, Tony pulled the blankets up around him and sat on the edge of his bed.

Natasha had been the first to mention to him that the sleepwalking thing might happen, considering how much stress Peter was trying to handle just then – a real possibility, Strange and Tony had both agreed – and she'd been worried. Stark and Stephen were both in the city already, so it only made sense that they would keep an eye on the boy to make certain that nothing happened. Tony could use the tech in his suit to make sure that Peter didn't Spiderman himself away in the middle of the night, and Strange would use a spell – or the cloak for the same purpose.

"Get some sleep, okay?" he told Peter, brushing the boy's forehead and cheek with a gentle hand.

"I will. Thanks."

Tony leaned over and pressed his cheek against Peter's, and then a kiss against that same cheek.

"I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Yeah."

Peter was asleep before Stark even turned out the light.


	9. Chapter 9

Stark was at the kitchen table having coffee with May when Peter came out of his room the next morning. They both looked up at his entrance, and both greeted his arrival with smiles.

"Good morning," May said when he walked over and put a hand on her back, standing close enough that she could put an arm around him.

"Morning."

"How did you sleep?" Stark asked, his expression unreadable.

"Okay, I think. Thanks."

He'd had an odd dream about planning on going out web swinging, and being guided back to his bed by Mr. Stark before he could, but it hadn't been a _bad_ dream and hadn't been odd enough to keep him from sleeping himself out.

"Good. We were waiting for you before ordering an Uber breakfast, so I hope you're hungry."

"Okay."

He sat down at the table and watched them while they discussed the plan for the day. May had many friends, mostly from work, and they were going to be coming over throughout the day to visit. Peter knew it was so that they could all see her before she became too ill to have visitors – or to be able to spend quality time _with_ those visitors – and he could understand why she wanted to do that as soon as possible, even though it wasn't something that he was looking forward to.

"Natasha is going to be coming by later," Tony told May – and Peter, of course. "Just to see if you guys need anything. Is that okay?"

May nodded, looking at Peter, who hoped she wouldn't even mention the word _crush_ anywhere near either Natasha _or_ Stark. Of course, embarrassing your teenager was a favorite pastime of all adults and May was no exception, but she took pity on him so far, and simply smiled.

"That's very kind of her."

"Don't expect her until after dinner, most likely."

They ordered their breakfast and the conversation was fairly light-hearted, discussing the football game the night before that none of them had watched, and the weather, which was turning cloudy and then some of the people who were coming by that day. Tony had met a few at the birthday party, and had to admit that May was pretty good at picking friends who weren't annoying.

He left after breakfast, double checking with both of them that they didn't need anything and that there was food in the fridge for lunch – or that they would just order something – and then gave them their space to spend some time together. With a hug and a kiss for May, a hand on the head for Peter, he let himself out of the apartment and reminded them to call him if they needed anything.

OOOOOOOO

The sanctum didn't have rooftop access, and Stark hadn't driven to the apartment the night before, so it _did_ cause a bit of a scene when Ironman dropped out of the sky and landed smoothly on the sidewalk about a block away from Stephen's. He deactivated the suit and waved a greeting to the people who shouted hellos to him, but didn't stop to talk or take photos like he normally would have. Instead he walked to the front door of the sanctum and saw it open before he even had a chance to knock.

Wong let him in and led him to the kitchen, making small talk until they arrived. Stephen was at the island, drinking a cup of coffee and just finishing his breakfast.

"Morning, Tony. Breakfast?"

"I've eaten, thanks. Coffee?"

Wong waved Strange down and poured a cup for Stark himself, who gave a nod of thanks and sat down beside Stephen.

"How is Peter holding up?" Wong asked.

"He's doing better than _I_ would be," Stark replied. "But he tried to go out around 3 o'clock this morning, so Natasha was apparently spot on about the sleepwalking thing."

" _That_ could have been disastrous," Strange said. "What did you do to stop it?"

"Told him that it was raining out and he should just wait until later, then I put him back to bed."

"Did he wake up?"

"No."

"I'll stay there tonight."

"Natasha's going to stay tonight. I spoke with May about the problem before Peter got up. She's fine with us having someone there at night with him, to keep it under control."

"And when she passes?" Wong asked.

"I'll have him at the tower – or maybe the compound, first, and Friday can keep tabs on him and alert us if something comes up."

"There are a lot more people at the compound," Strange noted.

"And it isn't so _high_ up," Tony added. "Just in case he tries going out without his web shooters like he did last night…"

They shook their heads.

"Does he need someone with him, now?"

"No. May is having company today. I imagine he'll have plenty of people watching him or talking to him. Natasha will be there around 8 and will stay until morning."

"I'll go by tomorrow morning before she leaves," Stephen said. "I'd like to check on May, anyway."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Is there anything they need?"

"I asked. May said no. You might ask when you see her – if you see her before I do."

"I will."

They finished their coffee, but the conversation was gloomy, and Stark decided to skip a second cup in favor of going home and getting some sleep. Strange facilitated that with a portal that opened right into his office and a moment later Tony was gone.

OOOOOOOOO

Peter had a rough day.

The visitors came by ones and by twos. Each brought May flowers, or casseroles for the fridge or stuffed animals, or just hugs and tears. They'd greet Peter – although he didn't know all of them, and he'd leave them alone with May so they could spend time with her.

Some would take him aside and remind him that he had to take care of her – as if he _didn't_ know it already. Some would ask if he needed anything and kept suggesting things to make May's last days easier on all of them. Some would pull him into their arms and remind him that he had to be strong for her. All of them meant well, and he knew it, but it was so much like the time after his parents had died that he found himself light-headed and almost frantic with the need to hide every time someone knocked on the door.

It wasn't any easier on _May_ , he knew. She was comforting her friends, wearing herself out holding the ones who cried – and there were _many_ – and trying to put on a show of cheer for the rest. Peter stepped in long enough to make sure that she had something for lunch – if people were going to bring food, he figured she might as well have some of it – but he didn't eat, since his stomach was twisted so badly just then he was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to hold anything down.

By the time the last one left, May was beyond ready for a nap, and Peter was ready to become a hermit in his room. He cajoled her into eating something, first, and then bustled her into her bed. After he made sure she was warmly covered and didn't need anything else, he kissed her gently on the forehead and left, shutting her door behind him. Then he went around the apartment, picking up various coffee cups and sympathy cards, stuffed animals and other dishes, cleaning the place up and relieved that they didn't have anything like that planned again.

Finally feeling that the place was in order, he sat in one of the chairs and closed his eyes, trying to make the headache that was pounding his left temple like a drum ease into something a little less agonizing.

He almost cried when there was yet another knock on the door about thirty minutes later, just when the headache was starting to abate, and his stomach wasn't cramping. He stood up, looking towards May's door to make sure she hadn't been disturbed, and then went to the door and opened it. And was surprised to see Natasha standing in the hall, a couple of hours earlier than he'd expected her.

She frowned at just how tired he looked.

"I'm early. Is that okay?"

He nodded, and moved so she could come in, and closed the door behind her.

"Yeah. I thought it might be someone else to see May."

Natasha looked around, noted the empty bed in the living room and a million other details that gave her a fair idea of where things were standing with him just then.

"How is she?" she asked as they moved into the kitchen to sit at the table.

"She's asleep. I had her eat something, so she might sleep through the night, but I want to be around in case she wakes up hungry."

Natasha didn't ask him how he was doing. She could _see_ how he was doing.

"You could take a nap, too," she suggested. "I can keep an eye on things here."

He shook his head, but she decided that no wasn't going to be an answer this time. She pulled him to his feet and led him into his bedroom. Then she pushed him down, gently, onto the edge of his bed and sat beside him, pulling him into her arms and tucking his head under her chin.

He didn't cry. He was honestly too drained to cry just then, but he clung to her and trembled, taking solace from her strength and her willingness to share it with him. Eventually he fell asleep, like she knew he would. She held him a little while longer, stealing a little comfort of her own, and then took his shoes off and put him to bed.

He murmured something when she covered him with his blankets, but she pressed her cheek against his.

"I'm here," she whispered. "Go to sleep."

He stilled, responding to the gentle tone if not the actual words, and went back to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

A hand was pressing against his cheek, waking him up in the gentlest of ways. The warm body cuddling beside him certainly didn't hurt. He opened his eyes and turned his head, knowing that it was Natasha before he even saw her. She smiled.

"Good morning."

He frowned.

"Morning?"

"M-hmmm."

He jerked awake, fear suddenly coursing through him that something had happened while he slept, and tried to sit up, but Natasha held him firm.

" _May!"_

" _Easy_ , Peter," she said, understanding his concerns immediately and quick to reassure. "She's awake and sitting at the table with Stephen, having breakfast. You both slept all night, and nothing bad happened. Okay?"

He looked toward his door, but it was closed so he couldn't confirm that, but he knew Natasha wouldn't lie to him.

"Okay."

She hugged him tightly for a moment and then let him go and got up. His bed was much too small for any prolonged cuddling.

"Come join us when you're ready."

He was still wearing the clothing that he'd worn the day before, so he was ready, and he followed her out into the kitchen. Sure enough, May was sipping coffee and eating a breakfast of eggs and toast, speaking softly to Dr. Strange, who was just drinking coffee.

Both of them looked up when Natasha and Peter joined them.

"Hi, sleepyhead," May greeted him, kissing his cheek when he leaned down to hug her.

"Morning. How do you feel?"

"A little tired," she admitted. "But I slept well. You?"

"I'm fine."

"Sit down. Have some breakfast."

He and Natasha both sat down, and Strange got up and went to the stove.

"I'm cooking, Peter. Eggs and sausage? Or something else?"

"Anything is fine."

Apparently Strange had already taken Natasha's order, because he set a plate in front of her when she sat down and she thanked him with a smile. Peter felt a bit of a tingle when Strange returned to the stove. He didn't know what the doctor was doing that was magical, but he was obviously augmenting his cooking with a little assistance.

"After you eat Natasha is going to take you out for a while," May told him.

He frowned.

"What? Where?"

"That's up to you – and to her," May said. "I don't want to see you for at least a few hours."

"But-"

"You need to get out for a while," she interrupted, gently. "Even if it's just to go for a drive."

"I want to stay here."

"I know." She gave him a smile. " _Please_? Just for a while?"

He looked like he was going to argue, but he didn't. And he _wouldn't_. And, more, she _knew_ it.

"Okay."

"Don't worry, Peter," Strange told him as he brought him a plate that had scrambled eggs, sausages and toast on it. "I'll stay and keep May company for you."

And he would have instant contact with him if something happened.

"Okay."

Peter didn't say much while they ate, but May chatted with Strange and Natasha. She knew them both, of course, and had spent plenty of time with them when she'd been to the compound, but she was sizing Natasha up a little more intently since her nephew had admitted that he just might have a crush on her. Peter caught the looks and couldn't help but roll his eyes and hope she wouldn't say anything, and May smirked, amused at his discomfiture.

"Do we even _want_ to know?" Strange asked, catching the exchange of amused glances between nephew and aunt.

Peter shook his head, hoping neither ever found out, and May was just happy to see him smile for the first time in days.

OOOOOOOO

Natasha's car was sporty. Shiny, black and designed to catch the eye. A few people were checking it out when they came out onto the street after breakfast. When Natasha unlocked it, the people checking out the car were suddenly checking _her_ out, and Peter could understand why, of course. He wondered if any of them would believe just how dangerous she could be.

"What do you want to do?" she asked Peter as he buckled his seatbelt.

He shook his head.

"I want to stay here and keep an eye on her."

She nodded, and put her hand on his leg.

"I probably shouldn't tell you this, but she wants a shower, and she's not sure that she can handle it by herself. Stephen has already called in the hospice care to assist with that. She didn't want you in the apartment while they're helping her."

"So she's getting worse?"

"Yes." She tightened her touch on his leg. "She's always going to be getting worse, Peter. You know that. But this is just a dignity thing. She doesn't have much choice to ask for help, and sometimes it's not going to be you she's comfortable having help her. Like the time you had to choose between me helping you shower and Tony. My feelings weren't hurt when you chose him, because I understood. _You_ need to, also."

"I should be there."

"She'd rather you weren't. She wants you to get away from the worry for a while, and asked me to make sure you did something more active than sitting around the apartment watching over her. So… bowling or putt putt?"

"Which do you want to do?"

"I know a good putt putt place."

"Okay."

OOOOOOO

The mini golf place was an indoor one, with an arcade and several pool tables as well as the golf course. Natasha and Peter got their balls and putters and went around the course at their own pace, since the place was fairly deserted that time of day.

"How have you been sleeping?" Natasha asked him, as she sized up a windmill, waiting for it to close and then open.

"All right."

"Any dreams?"

He shook his head and tried to shoot his ball through the windmill but didn't make it. Apparently spider senses and amazing coordination do not make windmills on mini golf courses any easier to navigate.

"I don't think so, but I'm not sure."

"You look tired."

"I _feel_ tired," he admitted. "But I don't think it's lack of sleep."

"You tried sleepwalking this morning," she told him, making it a casual statement as she sunk a four inch putt. "I doubt you're sleeping as much as you _think_ you are."

He looked over at her.

"I did?"

"Yeah. Nothing serious, though. I was in the kitchen and you headed for the window. I don't know if you were going to go anywhere, or if you just wanted to look out it."

"What happened?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing. I walked you back to your room and put you back to bed, no problem."

Peter shook his head.

"I don't remember any of that..."

"I know. You _don't_ usually, though, right? I know you've woken up in my bed before without realizing that's where you were until you've had a chance to look around."

"Yeah."

She gave him a reassuring hug, smiling an apology when she almost brained him with the putter she was holding.

"Don't worry about it, okay? We'll get through it. We have _before_."

He just nodded.

OOOOOOOOO

It was almost exactly three hours later when Peter and Natasha returned to the apartment. Strange was sitting in one of the chairs in the living room reading a book and looked up when they arrived, but May wasn't anywhere in sight. He saw Peter automatically look around and closed the book.

"She's in her bed, taking a nap and has already had lunch. Go check on her for me, though, will you?"

It was obvious that he wanted to, anyway, so that just told him that it was okay to do so.

"Thanks."

Peter vanished into May's room and Natasha walked over to the other chair and sat down. The book disappeared.

"How is she?" Natasha asked, quietly.

Strange shook his head.

"It's progressing more rapidly than I anticipated," he told her, soberly.

"Does she know?"

"She told me she can feel it."

"Do we tell Peter?"

"Do you think we _should_?"

 _She_ knew the boy better than any of them, he was certain. Probably better than _Tony_ , even. At least, she seemed to understand him on a different level than he and Stark did. Maybe because she was a _woman_ , but probably because she had been trained from so very young to be able to read people. Peter was important to her, so that ability took on a whole new meaning when it was directed at him.

"I don't think we'll need to," she admitted. "He's sensitive enough that he's probably going to know. Or _suspect_ , anyway. He knows she's getting worse – just not sooner than expected. If he asks, though, we should tell him. Otherwise… he's already dealing with so much, I don't want to put any more on him."

"Neither do I."

They didn't have a chance to say anything else. May's bedroom door opened and Peter came out, going into the living room and sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked troubled, but no more than he had been, lately.

"Where did you guys go?" Strange asked.

"Putt putt," Natasha answered.

"Who won?"

"She did."

"Did you _let_ her?" he asked, pointedly.

The boy shook his head.

"I know better."

Natasha stood up.

"I need to get back to the compound. Are you guys okay here?" They both nodded, and she walked over to the edge of the bed and cupped his cheek in her hand, brushing a kiss against his temple. "If you need me, I expect you to call."

"I will. Thanks."

She left and Strange turned to Peter.

"Did you have lunch?"

"I had a pretzel at the golf place."

"That doesn't count."

"It had _cheese_."

Strange shook his head, and a tray appeared on the bed beside the boy. On it was a burger and fries, just the way Peter liked them.

"Eat something, okay?"

"Okay, thanks."


	11. Chapter 11

Later that evening, after dinner - which May picked at and Peter barely touched since he'd had the burger earlier - May suggested to Stephen that maybe she'd rather lay down for a while in the living room so she could watch what was going on rather than stare at the walls in her bedroom. He felt a great welling of sorrow, well aware that she knew what moving to the living room bed meant, but he nodded, accepting that the decision was hers and only hers to make.

Peter's expression grew alarmed, and then afraid, but he fought down any comment, _and_ the instant denial that came when he watched Strange settle her into the bed in the living room, adjusting the top to make her somewhat upright. _He_ knew what it meant, too, and Strange could see the devastation in the boy's expression as he watched.

When she was comfortable, May patted the spot beside her, and Peter crawled onto the bed and settled next to her, resting his head against her shoulder but not putting any of his weight on her. He put his arms around her, though, and held her, closing his eyes and trying to stop the silent sobs that were wracking his thin frame as he realized what he'd already felt somewhere in his soul. She was getting worse, and sooner than was expected. She would likely never leave the bed, not _alive_ anyway.

He was going to lose her.

May brushed her fingers lovingly through his hair, trying to comfort him and giving him a chance to get adjusted to the change. She knew he was crying, but she also understood that he needed to. She'd done her crying earlier, in her room, and was able to simply be there for him, now. She fell asleep with her hand against his head, and Strange moved to gently rest it on her stomach, instead, pulling a blanket up to cover her warmly once he had.

He didn't suggest that Peter move; understanding just as well as May did that the boy needed to be where he was. The doctor walked to the other side of the bed, another blanket appearing in his hand as he did, and he covered Peter's shuddering form with it. Then he leaned over and pressed his cheek against Peter's, his hand on the boy's side.

"Try to get some rest," he whispered.

Peter nodded, but the shaking didn't stop, and neither did the sobs. Strange held his position and comforted the boy as much as he could, only moving when his crying finally ebbed, and even then only after brushing a sympathetic kiss against Peter's cheek.

He moved as far as the closest chair and sat down wearily, his heart aching and his mind still trying to come up with a solution that didn't exist. With a thought, the lights went off in the apartment, leaving only the one above the range in the kitchen on as a kind of a nightlight, and bathing the room – and him – in a mix of darkness and shadows.

OOOOOOOOO

They were still in the same position when Stark arrived at the apartment the following morning. _He_ noticed the change immediately when he entered the room, of course, and his gaze went to Strange's. The doctor shook his head, silently, but he didn't _need_ to be quiet. May had woken and eaten a few bites of oatmeal and was now asleep. Peter wasn't sleeping – and hadn't slept all night as far as Stephen could tell – and had refused to eat anything. At the moment, the boy was in his own world just then and probably not even aware that Tony was there.

The doctor stood up, the two men walked out into the hallway and Strange closed the door behind them.

"How long?" Tony asked, softly.

"Days. If _that_. There's no way to know."

He looked exhausted, and Stark sighed, deeply.

"Is she in pain?"

"No. She's just tired and weak."

"Peter?"

"He hasn't said a word all night. And didn't move."

Meaning no sleepwalking.

"You should go home. Get some rest. I'll stay here with them, now."

He didn't argue. Instead he nodded.

"If you need anything – or _they_ do – call."

"Yeah."

Strange glanced both directions in the hallway, and then vanished. Tony took a couple of deep breaths and went back into the apartment, sat down in the chair Stephen had vacated, and continued the vigil.

OOOOOOOO

It was a long day.

May woke, briefly, and was convinced to eat some soup that Tony found in the fridge and heated for her. Peter simply shook his head when Stark offered him some, closed his eyes and tightened his grip on his aunt, ignoring everything around him. May roused enough to chide Peter, reminding him that he'd promised her that he would try to take care of himself, and convinced him to eat some casserole. Rather than upset her, he did what she wanted, finishing the meal just as she went back to sleep.

He cuddled against her once more, closing his eyes as he held her, but every time he started to doze off, he'd jerk awake, looking at her, fearfully, until he saw her chest rise and fall. Proof that she was still with him.

The hospice caregivers arrived in the early afternoon, and Tony roused Peter from his mournful brooding to pull him from the bed, ignoring the boy's protests that he didn't want to leave her. She needed to be cared for in a way that Peter couldn't do, and Stark reminded him of that as he half walked, half carried, the boy into his bedroom and sat with him on the edge of his bed while they waited.

Peter leaned over with a tired sigh, and rested his head on Tony's leg, wordlessly seeking the comfort that he wasn't going to get in the bed in the living room.

" _You_ need to sleep, Peter," Stark told him, running his hand along the boy's shoulder.

He shook his head.

"I need to be with her…"

"You can do both."

"What if she leaves while I'm asleep?"

Tony didn't have an answer for that. He knew he couldn't promise that she wouldn't. They stayed that way for a long time, but as much as Stark hoped that Peter would get comfortable enough to fall asleep, the boy sat up when one of the hospice workers tapped on the door and let them know they were finished.

Peter got up without a word, and by the time Stark made it back to the living room the hospice folks were leaving and the boy was already settling himself in next to May's sleeping form once more. As Stark watched, Peter pressed a tender kiss against his aunt's temple, murmured something he couldn't hear, and then brushed her hair back from her face. Then the boy was still, content to simply hold her while she slept.

OOOOOOOO

It was Strange who came to watch Peter through the rest of the evening and that night. He checked with Tony by communicator to make sure that May was asleep and then materialized in Peter's bedroom a moment later. Stark was waiting for him.

"How is he?"

They both knew there was no reason to ask how May was. That answer was more and more obvious. Peter was the one that was going to have to be watched.

Tony shook his head.

"He's afraid to sleep, in case she dies while he's not there."

"He could sleep in her bed."

"I told him that, he wouldn't listen."

Stephen nodded.

"I can understand his fears."

"So can I. But he's going to make himself sick."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Strange promised.

They went out into the living room and Strange sat in one of the chairs, while Tony went over to Peter's side of the bed.

"I'm going to go for a while," he told the boy. "Do you want me to bring you anything when I come back?"

Peter shook his head.

"Thanks."

"You know how to reach me if you do."

"Yeah."

Tony looked at Strange.

"My office, please?"

The doctor nodded, opened a portal and Stark was gone a moment later.

"Is there an opening for Avenger _travel agent_?" Strange asked, shaking his head in mock annoyance.

As he hoped, the comment produced a slight smile before the boy turned his attention back to May. In a time like this, Strange would be satisfied for that effort.


	12. Chapter 12

_She woke him up, turning on the light in the living room and walking over to the sofa he'd fallen asleep on. She looked younger, of course, but he was, too. Even as young as he was, though, and even as sleepy as he had been, he could read her expression and knew something bad was coming._

" _I'm sorry to wake you," she said, sitting down and pulling him into her arms. "I have to tell you something. It's going to make you sad, but I want you to remember that it's okay to be sad. Okay?"_

 _He didn't understand what she meant, but he nodded anyway, knowing that was the expected response._

" _Okay."_

" _The plane your mom and dad were on had a problem while they were coming home."_

" _A bad one?"_

" _Yes, baby."_

" _What happened?"_

" _It crashed. No one survived. I'm so sorry."_

 _He stared at her, uncertain if she meant what he thought she meant. She certainly looked sad enough._

" _What?"_

" _They died, Peter. I'm so sorry."_

" _But I talked to them before they left. Mom said she'd be home when I woke up."_

" _I know."_

" _They aren't coming?"_

" _No. We lost them."_

" _While I was sleeping?"_

" _Yes. I'm so sorry."_

 _Don't sleep._

 _No one can wake you with bad news if you don't sleep. And they can't give you the bad news if they can't find you. Don't sleep, and don't let them find you._

 _Don't sleep._

 _"What do I do?"_

 _"You don't do anything, sweetheart. You're going to stay with me. I'll always be here for you. Never forget that, okay?"_

 _Don't sleep._

"Don't sleep…"

A movement next to him brought Peter awake with a start. The dream vanished, only to be replaced by an entirely different nightmare, and he looked over at May, who was awake and watching him. The only light was coming from the kitchen range, but he could see her just fine, and he saw her smile, even though she looked so tired that it made him tired.

"Did I wake you?" she asked him, softly, reaching out and touching his cheek, thinking that he looked exhausted, and she should banish him from her bed in favor of his own, where he might get some real sleep.

"No," he assured her, catching her hand and holding it with both of his. "Are you hungry? Do you need anything?"

"Just your company."

His lower lip trembled, but he bit it, hard enough to taste blood, and put his arms around her, holding her against his chest, rocking her slightly. He _wasn't_ going to cry, and he'd decided somewhere during the past couple of days that she _had_ to know who he was, before she was so far gone that she wouldn't understand what he was telling her.

"May…"

"Hmmm?"

"We don't have _secrets_ , do we?"

"We shouldn't, no."

He sighed, and pressed a kiss against her ear.

"What if I had a secret… one that I didn't tell you about? A _big_ secret. Would you hate me?"

"I could _never_ hate you, Peter Parker. We're family."

"I _do_ ," he admitted, softly. "Have a secret, I mean…"

"I know you do."

He shook his head, brushing his fingers through her hair, loving everything about her. Making sure she understood that.

"You don't know _this_ one."

He heard her sigh, a tired sound, and knew she was going to fall asleep soon.

"What is it?"

"I… what if I told you that I was _Spiderman_?"

There was a slight pause, and he thought maybe she'd fallen asleep again. But then she spoke.

"I'd tell you I already knew that."

Peter's hand stilled. It wasn't even close to the reaction that he expected.

"What?"

She turned, the movement seeming to take all the energy she had, and looked up at him.

"I _know_ you're Spiderman, Peter."

"How did-"

May chuckled, weakly.

"Remember when you were so sick?"

"Yeah."

"Spiderman vanished. No one saw him for weeks."

"So?"

"Then _you_ got better, and came home, and suddenly he was _back_. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Especially when you look at some of the tech on the Spiderman YouTube videos and compare them to the Ironman tech. It's subtle, and you'd need to know what to look for – and know you both. But it clicked fairly easy."

"You _knew_?"

"M-hmmm…"

"Why didn't you _say_ anything?"

"Because I love you, and didn't want you to worry about me worrying about you."

"I wanted to tell you…" he murmured. "But you always told me to run from the bad things… I didn't think you'd want to know that I wasn't."

"I know, baby… I'm proud of you…"

She had turned back, her cheek once more resting against his chest, worn out from the brief conversation.

Peter felt a surge of grief rush through him, and had to bite his lower lip once more to keep from sobbing.

"I love you, May."

"I know…"

She fell asleep in his arms, and Peter held her for a long moment, and then gently transferred her to the pillows and slid out of the bed, quietly. Walking across the living room, he went into his room and closed the door. He didn't even make it as far as the bed before he fell, tripping over his own feet and blinded by tears he had no control over, no matter how hard he bit down on his lip. His knees gave way as a crushing wave of sorrow washed over him, threatening to drown him as surely as any ocean might.

OOOOOO

Stephen Strange had witnessed everything. He'd initially recognized that Peter was having a dream of some kind, and had started to get out of the chair he'd been sitting in to wake him before he could disturb May, but then he realized that _she_ was already awake. He held still, allowing them to at least have the semblance of a private moment, rather than try to move out of earshot and maybe disturb them.

The conversation had been touching, to say the least, and another example of how amazing a woman May was. He was reminded – _again_ – why Peter was so very remarkable, having been raised by a woman like her. When May was asleep once more, he watched Peter get up, and he stood and followed, knowing that there would be tears and sorrow, and that the anguish was something that would be less unbearable if it didn't have to be endured alone.

He let himself into Peter's room, and closed the door behind him before dropping to the floor beside the boy, who was sobbing. The doctor gathered him into his arms, holding him like a small child in the throes of a terrible dream, and well aware that that was pretty much the case in this situation.

"She knew…" Peter told him, almost unintelligibly, since he was speaking into Strange's shoulder.

"I know."

Strange stood up, taking Peter with him and carrying the boy to his bed. He sat down and continued to cradle him, holding him as he cried himself out against his shoulder. It didn't take long. Peter was exhausted by the ordeal May was going through and his own emotional turmoil. Almost before the tears stopped, he was asleep in Stephen's arms.

The doctor hesitated, debating where to put him, but then a warm damp cloth appeared in the hand not supporting Peter and he tenderly washed the boy's face, removing the tears as well as he could without waking him. Then he stood up, Peter still in his arms. The bedroom door opened with a thought, and Strange carried him to his aunt's bed and nestled him up against her, covering him. That way Peter could be right there if something happened.

Strange settled back in his chair, watchful of May's condition, ready to wake the boy if necessary, but hoping nothing would happen for at least a short time, to give him a chance to recharge with some much needed sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

It was Natasha who was sitting with Peter when it happened.

Five days May held on once she'd taken to the bed in the living room. Five days to give her nephew as much time to prepare for her to leave him as she could. She'd rouse, weak and exhausted, and would touch him, acknowledge him and most every time she would make sure to tell him she loved him. She was fading, though, and everyone who knew her could tell.

Peter rarely left her side. He held her while she slept, he was the one who tenderly cajoled her into eating what little she could manage, he whispered entire conversations to her whether she was awake or not, and he was always the first person she'd see any time she managed to open her eyes.

He was exhausted, though. Fearful that he'd be asleep when the time came and she would pass before he had a chance to see her one last time, he tried to stay awake all the time, which just wasn't possible. He napped beside her in the bed, always holding her. If he _did_ sleep, he would wake with a start, as if coming out of a bad dream. Then he would check on her, to make sure she was still with him, tightening his hold, or pressing his cheek against hers, always touching her. The only time he left the bed was when the hospice people would come and then he would sit in his room, on the edge of his own bed with whomever was with him at the time.

It was beautiful to watch.

He was dozing beside her when something woke him. Something that screamed at him that all was not well. He jerked awake at the inner call and sat up, immediately knowing what it was and turning toward her.

" _May_?!"

His actions startled Natasha, who had been sitting in the chair closest to his side of the bed, debating whether to try and get him to eat something, and she stood up.

"Peter? What is it?"

He ignored her, his hand on May's shoulder, shaking her gently, trying to get a reaction. The monitor that had been set up to keep track of her vitals was still beeping regularly, but Natasha immediately tapped her communication device.

"I need you guys here. Now."

"May?"

She went over to stand by the bed, and put her hand on Peter's shoulder, but he didn't notice, still shaking May's shoulder. And getting frantic when there was no response. A moment later, Tony and Stephen both walked out of Peter's room and went immediately to the bed. Strange went to May's side, and Stark joined Natasha on Peter's side.

"She's not waking-"

Peter was interrupted by the monitor, which suddenly faltered as May's heart stuttered, and then caught, but then stuttered once more.

Stephen reached out and took May's hand, the one closest to him, holding it as his gaze went between the monitor, May and Peter.

"She's going, Peter…" he said, softly, tears welling in his eyes.

The boy looked over at him, and then at the monitor, and he shook his head.

" _No_ … not yet…"

Tony's hand joined Natasha's on the boy's shoulder, steadying him, but they didn't say anything. There wasn't anything they could say to him. Peter took May's other hand, and held it against his cheek, looking at her and caressing the hand he was holding.

" _Please_ , May… not yet…" he whispered, tears coursing down his cheeks unnoticed.

The monitor flat lined, and the boy looked at Strange, who shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Peter… she was an amazing woman…"

Still holding May's hand, the doctor counted to 100, then reached over and turned off the monitor, and Peter made a strangled sobbing noise, then buried his face against May's shoulder, holding her for the last time.

"No… no, no, no…"

His voice was muffled, but they could all hear the emptiness and the anguish, and Natasha wasn't the only one to choke down a sob of her own. Stephen leaned over, his head beside the boy's, and pressed a kiss against May's cheek, and then took Peter's head in his hand, holding his cheek against his own cheek for a moment.

"Natasha's going to take you back to the compound, now…"

They had discussed this already, preparing Peter days before. When May passed, Tony and Strange would handle the details with the people from the funeral home – who were on standby – and Natasha would stay with Peter until it was finished.

Peter nodded, wordlessly, and kissed May's cheek before he moved off the bed. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew that he had to, and trusted Tony and Stephen to take care of her for him. Natasha put her arms around him, and Tony put his around both of them, engulfing the boy in all the comfort that they could offer. He buried his face against Natasha's collarbone, and they stood like that for a very long time.

Finally Tony sniffed, and pulled away, leaving the boy in Natasha's very capable hands. Strange waved a hand and a portal appeared, one that terminated in Peter's quarters.

"We'll see you soon," Stark told them.

Natasha nodded, led Peter through the portal, and it closed behind them.

"You okay?" Tony asked Stephen.

The doctor nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Yes. We should start making phone calls…"

Stark nodded, but then pulled Strange into a hug, and the two men comforted each other for a long time before either was ready to reach for their phones.

OOOOOOOOO

Peter was silent when Natasha guided him over to the sofa in his living room. She sat down and pulled him down beside her, bringing his head back to her shoulder and cupping his cheek with her hand as she did so. He went willingly, his arms going around her automatically, holding her like a lost child. Which was pretty accurate at that moment.

"I've got you, baby," Natasha crooned gently, pressing a kiss against his cheek before moving her face against his ear.

"I can't believe she's gone…" he said, brokenly.

"I know."

Before she could say anything else, Peter felt a tingle and turned his head just in time to see the Cloak of Levitation appear out of nowhere next to the door to his quarters. The relic swarmed him and Natasha, crooning sympathetic comfort to the boy and caressing both of them as it cocooned them in its heavy folds of fabric.

"Is Stephen here?" Natasha asked, still holding him – she didn't really have a choice with the cloak wrapped around her and holding her against Peter like it was – but looking around.

"No." He sniffed, but didn't raise his head from her shoulder. "It comes on its own, sometimes, to spend time with me."

It hadn't been able to do so while they'd been with May, but it obviously knew what had happened and was ready to give comfort of its own. The only way it knew how.

"That thing is pretty incredible," Natasha said, leaning the two of them back against the sofa cushions and into a more comfortable position.

"Yeah."

They were silent. Each lost in their own sorrow – although his ran much deeper than hers – and so comfortable with each other that they never really needed to carry a conversation to be together. She was rocking him, slightly, hoping to get him to sleep for a while. It wouldn't make the pain go away, but it would be one less misery if he was less exhausted.

Less than fifteen minutes after they sat down on the sofa, there was a gentle rap on the door to his quarters, and Pepper stuck her head into the room. She saw them on the sofa and let herself in, walked over and then sat on the other side of Peter, sandwiching the boy between them.

"I heard, sweetheart," she said, softly, leaning against him and adding her own comfort and support to that of Natasha and even the cloak. "I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

He shook his head, but one of his hands came out from under the cloak and took hers, holding it – and _her_ – closer to him, silently asking her to stay nearby.

Pepper felt a familiar surge of affection for the boy and squeezed his hand, bringing it against her side to remind him just how much she cared about him. Peter sighed, feeling warm and loved – also absently surprised that the cloak wasn't complaining in his head about being pinned between him and someone else – and he closed his eyes and was comforted by them.

He even managed to fall asleep, eventually, although it was plagued by dreams.


	14. Chapter 14

The sky was dark outside Peter's bedroom window by the time Tony and Stephen arrived in Peter's quarters. Both men were somber, eyes red and puffy from their own sorrow, and expressions bleak. They took in the scene on the sofa with approval when they noticed Peter was asleep and being bolstered from both sides by Pepper and Natasha. He'd need that support in the coming days.

Strange wasn't surprised to see that the cloak had made its way to Peter, either. The thing had wanted to be with Peter from the beginning of the ordeal, and it had taken both Strange and Wong to explain why it wouldn't be able to be there until after May was gone. How it knew that had happened, the doctor didn't know. Either it was tuned into his mind, or to Peter's – or maybe to both of them. They still didn't know everything about it, and now wasn't the time to find out. The relic would come to him if something came up and he needed its assistance, but right now Peter was obviously its priority.

Stark leaned over the back of the couch and pressed a kiss against Pepper's cheek, and she reached her free hand up to brush her fingers against his jaw, lovingly. He looked tired, and sad, and she wanted to hug him, but couldn't just then.

"Is everything taken care of?"

"Yeah," he told her, softly. "We'll have the moving company start boxing up the apartment soon, but there's no real rush."

The same meeting of minds that had given Tony custody of Peter had also transferred Power of Attorney for May's estate to Stark, so he would be able to take care of all the little details after her death. Which included moving her things from the apartment to a storage area in the tower until Peter felt up to looking through them to see what – if anything – of hers he might want to keep before the rest was taken care of. He'd also be the one that handled getting her life insurance and other financial assets into Peter's trust, but again, that could wait and was more a job for the lawyers to handle.

Right now, he was well aware of the fact that Peter's well-being was now _his_ responsibility. More than ever before, and he was taking that responsibility to heart.

"We'll let him sleep himself out, then feed him and see if he can sleep some more."

They knew the boy was short on sleep. They all were.

"I'm going to take advantage of my rooms here," Strange told them. He didn't see that anyone needed him just then, and he wanted a chance to be by himself. He could have gone back to the sanctum, of course, but he wanted to be close by. "If anyone needs me, just call."

They nodded, and all of them watched him leave the room.

"He's taking this hard," Stark said, softly.

Not surprisingly. Strange had spent a lot of time with May initially when Peter had gotten sick, keeping her apprised of his treatments, asking her a million questions to make sure things stayed on track, and continually giving her updates and reassurances when things took odd turns. Then, when Peter was better and back home, he'd kept in touch with her to come up with a schedule to allow the boy time at the sanctum with him and Wong. Tony knew he probably knew May better than he, himself, did.

And had liked and admired her.

"I'll go talk to him," Natasha said, recognizing that Stark could take her place on the sofa with Peter – and almost certainly wanted to.

Tony nodded, moving around to the other side of the sofa and watching as the cloak released its hold on Romanoff, allowing her to move carefully away from Peter's side, transferring the boy's weight to Stark, who slid into her vacated spot smoothly. Peter stirred, and started to lift his head, sleepily, but Tony brought it down to his shoulder and made soothing noises, reassuring him that he wasn't alone. The boy's hand came up and brushed absently against Stark's jaw for a brief moment, and then he settled back into sleep without a sound.

Once he had, the cloak resumed its position, draped over Peter, Tony _and_ Pepper, who were huddled closely enough together that it could cover all three for the most part.

"Call me if he needs me," Natasha said.

Stark nodded, and shooed her away before she decided to stay.

OOOOOOOO

He was sitting in one of the upholstered chairs in his living room area when Natasha tapped lightly on his door and let herself in without waiting for a reply. Strange looked up at her entrance, and shook his head when she closed the door behind her and walked over to him. Realizing that there wasn't room for her to sit beside him in the chair, she simply lowered herself onto his lap, taking his hands and bringing them around her as she rested her cheek against his jaw, silently asking to be held.

"I failed him, Natasha," Strange told her, holding her closely, needing the contact and grateful to her for being willing to provide it. " _Both_ of them."

"No more than the rest of us," she pointed out.

"The rest of you aren't _doctors_ ," he said, bitterly.

"And _you're_ not all-powerful," she reminded him. "You did everything you could."

"It wasn't enough."

"People die, Stephen. You know that as well as anyone."

Or he _should_ , anyway.

"I wanted to save her…"

Romanoff nodded, and pressed her lips against his ear.

"I know. We _all_ did."

He sniffed, and she held him, knowing that all the words in the world weren't going to make him feel better just then. Instead, she was there for him, lending him the shoulder that he needed and the comfort that he never would have asked her for. He just wasn't used to having that option available to him, being far more solitary by nature.

Strange's shoulder shook as he cried out his own sorrow, and Natasha murmured gentle words of comfort as he did, her hands soothing him. Only when his tears ebbed did she finally slide out of his lap and take his hand, pulling him to his feet before he realized it was happening.

"Come on," she told him.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"I'm going to put you to bed. You're exhausted."

"I'm alright," he assured her. "There are things that need to be taken care of that can't wait for-"

"Don't argue with me," Romanoff said, leading him into the bedroom and pushing him down onto the edge of the bed so she could help him get his shoes off. "Just get some sleep, okay?"

He nodded; the idea of uninterrupted sleep tempting – especially since he was already on the bed. It wouldn't hurt if he took a few hours and recharged while Peter was sleeping. Then he'd be ready to help the boy through the rest of the process.

She watched as he pulled off his shirt and then she turned the blankets back for him.

"You'll stay?" he asked, not ready to be alone just yet.

"Of course."

Romanoff slipped out of her shoes, too, and slid under the blankets beside him. He closed his eyes as she covered them both warmly, and turned on his side to bring his arms around her, holding her close. His head went to her shoulder and he was asleep almost immediately. Natasha pressed a kiss against his ear and shifted a little to get more comfortable. She had options available to her to get him to go to sleep - and had used one in the past - but she'd known she wasn't going to need to do more than let him cry himself out and then get him into his bed. He'd been tired. And so was she.

She brushed her fingers along his temple, and then she slept, too.


	15. Chapter 15

_He dreamed of her, of course._

 _Every smile, every hug, every kind word and expression he could ever remember went through his mind as he slept. It was all good._

 _They weren't all_ his _memories, though, because the perspective changed and he was seeing himself being held, being kissed, being cuddled in bed and being read to. But while he didn't feel anything in those memories, he knew that they were good, too, and he would remember them, now, as though they were his own. Love for her filled his being, and the love that he knew she had for him only compounded that good feeling._

 _Then, the realization that he wouldn't have a chance to make any more memories with her. She was gone, now. Not off somewhere on a trip, to return at a later date and see him again. Gone. He would never see her again. She'd left him. Forever. She wouldn't hold him again. He'd never have another chance to tease her about the guy at the restaurant that had the crush on her. He'd lost her._

 _She was gone._

 _The sorrow that welled up in him at the reminder hurt him so much that it produced actual pain as his stomach clenched, and he moaned, softly._

"Easy…"

Tony Stark had been dozing as he held Peter, but he woke immediately at the sound, his grip tightening automatically on the boy. Peter's cheek was resting against Stark's chest, so Tony couldn't see when he opened his eyes, but Pepper did and her hand went to the boy's back, under the cloak that was still patiently draped across them, warming them.

"She's _gone_ …" Peter murmured, brokenly, still in the grasp of the dreams he'd been having.

"I know," Tony told him, pressing a kiss against the top of the boy's head. "I know."

Peter closed his eyes, again, but he didn't sleep. His slim frame was tense and nowhere near relaxed enough to be resting. His arms went around Tony, where before one hand had been pressed against Stark's chest and the other had been held by pepper.

"What do I do…?"

Pepper met Tony's gaze, and he saw that the anguish in the boy's tone had caused her to tear up. He wasn't much better off, really.

"We're going to get through this," Stark told him, gently, his fingers running through Peter's hair. "Together."

"I need her."

"I know."

"Think we should put him to bed?" Pepper asked, quietly. "He'd probably be more comfortable."

They were sitting upright, after all. Fine for a short nap, but not for prolonged sleep - which they knew the boy needed.

Tony nodded his agreement, and both hands went to Peter's face, cupping his cheeks to make the boy look at him. When he did, his eyes brimming with unshed tears, Stark brushed a comforting kiss against Peter's forehead.

"We're going to get you into bed, okay?"

"She's _gone_..."

He wasn't asleep, but it was clear he wasn't completely awake, either.

"She loved you," Tony told him. "Very much. You know that, right?"

"Yes."

"It's okay, Peter. I promise."

Tony transferred Peter to Pepper's arms, and he went willingly, burying his face against her collarbone while she wrapped her arms around him. Then Stark got up and went into the boy's bedroom and pulled the blankets back, adjusting the top of the bed to allow them to be more upright without having to rely on a mountain of pillows to do it. He also stopped to check the contents of the fridge in the bedroom; it had been stocked before his expected weekend at the compound but that had been a while and not all the items in there were as fresh as they could be.

"I'll take him, now," he told Pepper when he returned to the living room, reaching for the boy once more.

Peter didn't resist. He let Tony pick him up and put him into his bed and when Pepper settled beside him, he closed his eyes and nestled against her when she embraced him again, warmly. Stark tucked the blankets around the two of them, watched as the cloak covered Peter and Pepper and then leaned over and kissed her.

"I'm going to go to the lounge and get something to feed him when he wakes up again. Are you okay?"

Meaning, did she mind him leaving her long enough to go do that.

Pepper nodded, her gaze going to the boy.

"We're fine."

"Keep my spot warm."

He brushed his hand along Peter's cheek, briefly, and then left.

OOOOOOOO

Barton, Banner and Rogers were sitting quietly at a table in the corner of the lounge when Stark entered the room. They watched him go to the bar and speak with the bartender, who headed back for the kitchen, and then he went over to the table.

"How is he doing?" Rogers asked.

They all knew what had happened by then, of course.

"He's upset," Tony replied. "There's a difference between knowing it's coming and then actually having it happen."

"Poor guy."

"Yeah. Anything going on that I need to know about?"

"No." Steve was always on top of the activities at the facility, so he didn't have to check in with anyone before answering. "We're going to hold off on the trip to Romania for now – Peter's going to need Nat here, we figure."

"Probably. We can't hold the funeral for a few days – to give notice to May's friends."

"Regular training will continue, but nothing out of the ordinary."

"Good."

"Does he need anything?" Barton asked.

"Just some sleep, I think."

" _You_ need to get some sleep, too, Tony," Banner told him. "You look wiped out."

"I am. And I will."

He'd sleep while spending time with Peter.

The bartender brought a package over and handed it to Stark.

"I'll be in Peter's quarters if anyone needs me."

They nodded, but it would have to be something pretty urgent if Steve couldn't handle it himself.

OOOOOOO

By the time Tony returned to Peter's quarters the boy was asleep once more, escaping the reality he just couldn't face yet by allowing Pepper's comforting presence and the cloak's gentle humming in his mind to lull him back to sleep. She had the boy's head tucked under her chin and was on the right side of the bed to allow her to watch as Tony opened up the fridge and put the package he'd picked up in the lounge inside.

"Did he say anything?" Stark asked, softly, taking his place on the other side of Peter, once again sandwiching the boy between them. He rested his cheek on a pillow, which let him relax and still watch her and Peter both

"No. He just went back to sleep. You should get some, too."

"I will. I brought some sandwich stuff for when he wakes up, next. We'll want to make sure he eats something."

"Good."

Tony touched her cheek, briefly, the look he gave her filled with love. Then he put his hand on Peter's back – technically on the _cloak_ , but it was close enough.

"Do you need a break?"

She didn't seem to mind holding him, but it wasn't the same as being in her own room, in her own bed. Pepper shook her head, her grip tightening just a little on the boy's still form.

"No, I'm fine where I am. Go to sleep, okay?"

He nodded, and closed his eyes, well aware that he needed the sleep. He didn't even open his eyes when he felt the cloak cover him once more, and was soon asleep, too.


	16. Chapter 16

When Peter woke next, he was aware of many things almost all at once. The first was that he was warm. Not _fevered_ warm, but the comfortable warm that came from being snuggled up against someone else. In his case, _two_ someones and a cloak that was capable of generating its own warmth when it wanted to. He was also aware that the crushing, mind-numbing sorrow that he'd been experiencing was now only _crushing_. He was able to think, even though his thoughts immediately went to what he'd lost, and that made him sad.

He was also suddenly restless.

Pepper felt him wake. She'd been dozing, but not really too deeply. Unlike Tony, Strange and Natasha, she hadn't been one of those who had sat with Peter during May's final days. Not because she didn't offer to do so, but because she'd been involved with the million little details that were involved in getting things ready for Peter to come live with her and Tony.

Not just getting his room at the tower ready; that was done quickly – even though they'd need to take his things from the bedroom in the apartment and integrate those items with the ones already in the room. There was also the task of getting his emergency contacts at the school changed over – first to Tony, then to _her_ and also _Stephen_. They hadn't quite decided how he was going to get to school; Happy could take him, or he could take the bus, or – once he was sixteen and had a license, he could drive himself. That was something they would need to wait on, until they were able to discuss it with Peter. When he was ready to face that problem.

They had to change all his medical records, dental, pediatric and even his medical history files. Of course, they already knew more about the boy's medical history than his regular doctors did.

Pepper didn't mind the details. She worked best with details, and this was an effort of _love_ , not a chore.

She felt him move, slightly, against her and she was immediately awake. Peter raised his head, looking around. First at her, and then behind him at Stark, who was asleep, still, and then back at her, since she was awake.

"Hey…" she said, softly, releasing him enough to brush her hand against his cheek. His expression was bleak, but not quite as devastated as it had been the day before.

"Hi, Pepper."

His head dropped to her collarbone again, but only for a moment. She didn't say anything; she just held him and brushed her hand along his hair and his cheek, silently reminding him that she was there for him. He was quiet for a moment, but then lifted his head to look at her.

"Pepper?" his voice was sleepy.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I need to get up…"

"What's going on?" Tony's voice broke into their conversation as Peter's movements woke him up just in time to hear Peter tell her that.

"I need to get up," Peter repeated.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I mean, I _think_ I am. I just need to not be in bed…"

"You're restless?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah."

"You need a walk?" Stark asked.

"Maybe? I don't know, but I need to get up."

"Is something _wrong_?"

They all knew about his spider senses, after all, and that he knew when something was going to happen. It had once more been proven by the fact that he'd known May was passing long before the monitor announced it to everyone else.

"No."

"Okay. Let's go for a walk," Tony said, pushing back the blankets.

"You don't have to come," Peter told him, touched that he was willing to leave a warm bed when he looked so tired. "I won't be long."

Stark frowned, but could understand if the boy needed to be alone. Grief was easier to bear when it was shared, but it could also be a private thing, and the thoughts and emotions that came with it were sometimes hard to share until a person had a chance to examine them. He looked at his watch.

"It's the middle of the _night_."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Tony told him. "Just don't go far."

"I won't."

"And stay away from the _pool_."

That was almost an automatic thing for him to say.

"I will."

"And take the cloak with you."

"Okay."

They both watched as Peter crawled over Tony to get out of the bed and found his shoes. The cloak hovered until he had them on, then it wrapped itself around the boy's shoulders and neck, crooning into his mind, soothingly. Then he left, silently closing the door behind him.

"' _Take the cloak with you'_?"

Tony shrugged.

"It'll keep him out of trouble."

"You're not going to follow him?" Pepper asked.

"No." He scooted closer to her, filling the empty space Peter had left and put his arms around her. "We're going to have to get used to trusting him to know what he needs and respecting that he's old enough to not need us hovering."

"You're going to have _Friday_ watch him, though, right?"

"Absolutely."

He wasn't ready to stop hovering, just _yet_.

OOOOOOOOO

He didn't really have a destination in mind. Not really. And, as Mr. Stark had said, it was the middle of the night. He didn't run into anyone in the corridors and the place was silent, which was almost what he felt that he needed just then.

May was gone.

Even as he thought it, a mental image of her entered his thoughts. Her warm, loving smile and the amused expression she'd wear whenever he said something that she didn't understand, but knew that he did. He would miss that.

He felt the sorrow that welled up in him at the thought ease almost immediately to a dull ache that was far more bearable and the cloak murmured comfort into his mind at the same moment.

Peter might have gone outside. He loved to be outside, especially when he needed to think – or to be alone. It was _raining_ , though, and he didn't want to go outside and return soaked and upset Pepper and Mr. Stark, and make them think that he wasn't smart enough to keep himself dry. Besides, the _cloak_ would get wet, and he didn't want it grumbling in his head for however long it would take for it to dry.

Instead, he went to the lounge, fairly certain that it would be empty.

It was. He debated playing himself in chess, but didn't want to focus that much energy on anything just then. Peter let himself behind the bar, looking at all the alcohol and wondering if a drink would make him feel better. He knew that when people were upset, they often would have a drink. They did it in movies all the time. Mr. Stark would do it occasionally, also. He sighed, and pulled a bottle of cola from one of the little fridges and a bowl of mixed nuts and an orange, since there wasn't much more to offer and he was suddenly hungry.

Then he went over to one of the sofas and sprawled on it, eating a handful of nuts and washing it down with the cola.

May was gone.

He again had a flash of memory – not one of his own, but definitely of _her_ – and suddenly realized that it was her and his parents sitting at a table. May was a lot younger, but Peter remembered seeing his mom and dad looking like they did in the memory, and thought that maybe it _was_ his memory. Just one of those that were so early for him that he didn't actually remember them on his own. It wasn't the first time the Mind stone had found a memory from his early childhood to share with him.

They were playing cards, he realized, and all of them were smiling as they silently discussed something that must have been amusing.

It wasn't sadness he felt, then. Not when he saw the three people who had meant the most to him in his short life all together. But there was a wave of regret. They had all been taken from him, now. He'd never considered himself orphaned when his folks had been killed. He had _May_ , after all, and she was family. He _was_ , now, though, he realized. He was the last. An orphan in every sense of the word.

An image of Tony Stark replaced the one of May and his parents in his mind. Tony, and then Pepper, Natasha and Stephen Strange. Even Clint, Steve and Bruce. All there for him, and all willing to drop everything if he asked them for anything, he knew.

The message was clear, even when he was wallowing in his grief.

He _wasn't_ alone. An _orphan_ , yes, but never alone.

May was gone, yes. His parents that he barely remembered were gone. But May had known what was best for him, and had left him in the hands of the people who could love him the most. The ones that would support him. Hadn't they already proven that? Even before she'd gotten sick?

Tears wet his cheeks, but while they were tears of sorrow, they weren't so crushing that he felt overwhelmed by them, or by the grief that he felt accompanying them. The cloak caressed his ears, wiped the tears as they fell, and crooned only comfort into his mind as he sat there in the near darkness of the lounge. Memories of his parents, and May, Tony Stark and the others were like a slideshow in his mind, and he found himself starting to drift off, lulled by the cloak and the calming influence of the gem that was providing him with the memories.

He shook his head, and stood up. Perversely, he didn't want to be alone, now.

He walked back to his room, and let himself in. He hesitated, looking over at the sofa. He could sleep there and not disturb anyone. He almost sat down, but then went into his bedroom. Pepper was asleep, as near as he could tell, but Stark turned his head when he entered the room. Even in the near darkness, Peter could see the concern in his expression. Concern born of caring, he knew.

"You okay?" he asked.

Peter nodded.

"Can I join you?"

Tony nodded and pulled the blankets back and created a new space between him and Pepper, patting it in invitation.

"It's _your_ bed," he reminded Peter. "It's only fair to let you back into it."

The boy climbed over him again and settled between them, and Stark covered them up again. Then he pulled Peter into his arms, holding him against his warm body. Peter sighed, and his head went to Tony's chest. The cloak covered them once more and the lullaby in his mind joined the beating of Stark's heart and put him to sleep almost immediately.

Tony went back to sleep just as quickly.


	17. Chapter 17

He woke slowly. Almost reluctantly. He was warm, and comfortable, and there were arms around him holding him closely. Strange sighed, and opened his eyes, well aware that he almost certainly wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep now that he was awake enough to remember everything that he needed to do that day.

Natasha brushed her fingers against his cheek, watching as he woke up, and he was very tempted to close his eyes again and stay nestled beside her as long as he could. Asleep or awake, she was good company.

"Now I understand why Peter ends up in your arms when he's had a rough day and needs comforting," he murmured to her.

She smiled, her expression tinged with sadness at the reminder that Peter was having a very rough time of things – and why.

"Yeah?"

He nodded, and sighed, and then buried his face against her neck, not quite ready and willing to face his day. Romanoff's arms tightened around him as if she understood – and he knew that she did. He had an arm draped over her side, and he brushed his hand against her back, lightly.

"It's probably not _exactly_ the same," he conceded.

When he saw her with Peter sleeping in her arms, there was an innocence between the two that made him smile every time he saw them together. It was a meeting of two very different people with a bond so special that they almost instinctively knew what the other needed, and when they needed it. Very different people, but also carrying a similar inner wound that the other seemed to be able to soothe with their very touch.

There were parts of him that were waking up next to her that had no interest in soothing, and nothing to do with innocence.

Natasha chuckled, and shifted to give him a kiss, pleased to note that the heavy grief was gone, replaced by a lingering sorrow, but also a bit of his normal sardonic self. She was much too close to him to miss his reaction to being so close to her.

"No, probably not."

She didn't pull away, but _he_ did. Grief and sorrow were not a tool to be used, or something to be taken advantage of, and her willingness to comfort him was special to him. _It_ wasn't something he'd take advantage of, either.

He glanced at his watch, amazed that he'd slept as long as he had. But he definitely felt better for the rest.

"I should go check on him," he told her, rolling over and kissing her, despite his resolve to get up.

"M-hmmm."

 _She_ should, too. She knew, though, that if anything had happened, Stark would have called her, so she'd give herself time to shower and change and wake up a bit.

"We'll finish this conversation later?"

Natasha nodded, and stretched, languidly, then pulled his head down for one more kiss before she got out of bed.

"I'm going to go change. I'll meet you in the lounge."

"All right."

He sat on his bed and watched her leave, then headed for the bathroom. He definitely needed a shower.

OOOOOOOOO

Peter woke warm and comfortable as well. Tucked between Pepper and Tony, he felt loved and protected and his hand came up unerringly to brush against Stark's jaw as he woke up, his sleep-fogged mind slow to bring him back to a different reality than the one he'd almost imagined. He sighed, saw they were both awake when he opened his eyes and looked around, sleepily. He'd gone to sleep being held by Mr. Stark, but now he was cuddled up against Pepper's side, his head on her shoulder until he'd lifted it.

She smiled, charmed as she always was by how adorable he looked when he was sleepy, and brushed her fingers against his cheek.

"Good morning."

"Hi."

The rain from the night before must have stopped, because bright sunshine was streaming through his bedroom window.

"How do you feel, Peter?" Stark asked, watching the two with a soft expression on his face.

As if on cue, Peter's stomach growled. Loudly and almost painfully. Peanuts and a soda were not a true meal, and even those had been hours ago.

Pepper laughed, and he blushed, feeling the first suggestion of light-heartedness that he had felt since the whole thing had begun.

The arm that Stark had around him tightened, and pulled Peter close enough to hug him, affectionately, pinning a portion of the cloak between them for just a moment.

"Breakfast time, huh?"

The boy nodded.

"Yeah. I think so."

Pepper leaned over and brushed a kiss against his forehead.

"Why don't you get set for your day, and we'll meet you in the lounge when you're ready?"

He nodded.

"Okay."

They both slid out of his bed, and Pepper went out the bedroom door, but Stark hesitated, looking back at him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'll meet you in the lounge."

"You _sure_?"

He looked so small, and alone, sitting in his bed by himself. Before Peter could say anything, the Cloak of levitation raised a corner of fabric and made a shooing motion toward Tony, who scowled, despite his concern.

"It did _not_ just tell me to go away…"

Peter's smile was amused.

"Dr. Strange thinks it learned that from _you_."

"He does?"

"That's what he said."

"Huh. Well… I'll be in the lounge when you're ready."

"Okay."

Peter sat on his bed for a moment after they left him, trying to take stock of how he felt. The sorrow was there – he was pretty sure it would be a long time before he didn't feel it lurking, waiting to escape his control and cause a breakdown – but he also felt somewhat refreshed. Probably the result of the first solid sleep he'd had in more than a week.

The cloak crooned into his mind, and his stomach growled again, both reminding him that he needed to get up. He did, going to his dresser to get clean clothes before heading for the bathroom to take a shower.

OOOOOOOO

By the time Peter arrived at the lounge, Natasha and Strange were sitting in the corner table with Pepper and Stark. They all looked up at his entrance, and the cloak, which had been hanging on Peter's shoulder trying to avoid his shower damp hair moved from Peter over to Strange, draping itself over his collar, giving his cheek a gentle caress before being still.

"Good morning," Natasha said, greeting him with a smile and searching his expression for any sign of unhappiness that she might need to help him deal with just then.

He offered up the best smile that he could for her, and sat in the chair she was obviously saving for him.

She wasn't the only one watching him, of course. Strange's gaze was far more intent – and _intense_ – even though he probably didn't realize it. But Peter was used to that, by now, and was able to meet that frank look without discomfort.

"Breakfast, Peter?"

"Yes, please?"

"Pancakes?" Stark asked.

"French toast?"

Tony frowned at that choice. He didn't like Peter eating anything with cinnamon in it, even though Stephen had long since explained the difference between cinnamon and nutmeg. It was just something that automatically made him uneasy. The mind might know it was safe, but he screamed inside every time the kid had a cinnamon roll, or French toast.

Natasha couldn't help but smile at the choice – and Stark's reaction. Peter might not have done it on purpose – and she knew that he probably hadn't – but it amused her to see Tony obsessing on something that wasn't dangerous.

"French toast sounds good," Romanoff agreed.

"It's not French toast day," Stark reminded them both.

A moment later, two plates of French toast appeared on the table. One in front of Natasha and one in front of Peter. Syrup, butter and sausages followed almost immediately.

Tony scowled, again.

"You're not _helping_ , Stephen."

Pepper smiled at the bland look that Strange gave him, pleased that the banter was returning. Tony had been so bleak, and so gloomy, lately – and for good reason, of course – she knew it was good for him to have Strange with him, to verbally spar with. It was probably good for _Stephen_ , too.

"I'd have French toast," she told Strange, smirking at Tony when he tossed her an annoyed look, too.

Another plate appeared, and Strange looked at Stark, who shook his head.

"I'm having pancakes."


	18. Chapter 18

Once they finished breakfast Strange mentioned that he was going to need to spend some time at the sanctum that morning. He didn't mention it, but he hadn't been there much the last several days, and he had a few things that needed to be taken care of that Wong _could_ handle, but it wasn't fair to expect him to.

"I'll be back around lunchtime," he said, finishing up the last of his coffee and then standing up. He walked over behind Peter and wrapped an arm around the boy, while the cloak also reached for him, caressing his ear. Leaning over, he gave him a one-armed hug. "If you need anything, call me. Okay?"

"Yeah."

The doctor vanished, and Pepper excused herself as well, reminding all of them that she'd be in the compound all day if they needed her and brushing a kiss against Tony's cheek before she left, too.

Stark looked at Peter.

"What do _you_ want to do?"

"Go sit outside for a while?"

"It's cold outside," Natasha said.

"I'll wear a sweatshirt. I'm not going to _sleep_ out there, I just want to get some fresh air."

"And take a blanket," Tony added. "I don't want you catching a chill."

Peter nodded.

"Thank you."

They walked with him, stopping to pick up not just one, but two blankets and a pillow, just to make sure he was comfortable.

"I could stay and keep you company," Stark told him as they carried one of the lounger chairs that Peter preferred to sprawl in out to a sunny spot next to the field. There were some drills going on at the far end, but they weren't close enough to disturb him, and he always found them interesting to watch, at any rate.

Peter shook his head.

"I'm okay, Mr. Stark. Really."

He was well aware that they had all put everything on hold for him the last week and however many days, and was sure that Stark could use some time to himself. Or with _Pepper_ , for that matter. Not to mention he probably had a lot of things to take care of, also.

"You're _sure_?"

"Yeah."

"Keep the blanket on."

"I will."

"Call me if you need anything."

"Okay."

He hesitated, but then leaned over and pressed his cheek against the boy's for just a moment.

"If you get bored and want some company, come find me, okay?"

"I will."

Peter and Natasha watched as he walked back to the building, and then he sat on the lounger sideways. Natasha sat down beside him, leaning against him a little. In a reversal of their normal positions, Peter put his arms around her, just enjoying being with her, and she put her head on his shoulder.

"How did you sleep last night?" she asked him.

"Pretty good. I went for a walk in the middle of the night, but went back to bed and didn't have any trouble sleeping."

" _Sleepwalking_?" she asked, lifting her head to look at him, concerned.

"No. Just restless. I'm pretty sure I was awake, anyway. I remember everything I did."

Which wasn't the case when he was sleepwalking.

"Tony knows?"

"He was there."

"Okay."

He rested his chin on the top of her head, tightening his hold on her.

"How did _you_ sleep?"

"Very well."

"You look a little tired…"

She smiled, thinking that he wasn't really one to talk. A decent night's sleep didn't make up for losing as much as he had when he'd been taking care of his aunt, after all.

"I _am_. A little."

"You should get some sleep."

"I might. I have a few things I need to take care of, first." She pulled away from his embrace, putting her hands on his cheeks to hold his gaze. "I'm going to let you soak up your fresh air. But if you need _anything_ , call me. Okay?"

"I will."

" _Do_ you need anything?"

"A hug?"

She did that, holding him close for a long moment, and he closed his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder. Her willingness to let him lean on her anytime he needed it made his eyes sting with unshed tears, and he sniffed, which made her tighten her hold on him even more. When she finally released him, she held his face again and kissed his forehead.

"You _know_ I love you, right?"

He nodded, and now the tears _did_ fall. He'd been so stupid, thinking that he was going to be alone.

"I love you, too."

Well aware that they were a completely different kind of tears, she didn't worry about the waterworks. Instead, she used her thumbs to wipe his cheeks free of the tears and tried to keep from crying, herself.

"I'll come check on you later, okay?"

"Yeah."

Another kiss and she got up, reminding him to keep warm before she walked back into the building. Peter watched her go, then bundled himself into the blankets and positioned the pillow so that he was upright and able to watch the trees, the few creatures that were trying to hide on the edge of the tree line, and the drills that were going on at the other end of the field.

OOOOOOO

Stark was waiting for Romanoff when she came through the door.

"Is he okay?"

"You tell me," she said, shrugging. "Did he _sleepwalk_ last night, or just go for a regular walk?"

"He was awake."

"Good. He seems okay. You can still see the _hurt_ , but that isn't going to go away any time, soon."

He looked over her shoulder and watched as Peter adjusted the blankets to get comfortable.

"Can you think of anything we can do for him?"

She shook her head.

"Give him the space he needs when he needs it and be there for him when he needs that, too." She touched Stark's jaw, fondly. "You're doing everything you can, Tony. It'll just take him some time."

"Thanks, Natasha."

She nodded, and left him alone, standing by the door. He watched Peter for a while, and then took her advice and left him alone. But he did make sure to leave his schedule open that day – just in case.

OOOOOOOOO

If Peter had had any doubts that the people at the facility cared about him, and his well-being, that morning did much to disabuse those doubts. He hadn't planned on dozing while in the chair, mainly because it was a bit chilly to be outside sleeping, but even if he _had_ , he would have been woken up by the fact that the others 'happened' by to check and see how he was doing.

Hawkeye came by less than ten minutes after Natasha had left him. He'd sat on the edge of the lounger, chatting with Peter for only a few minutes, but checking if he needed anything and making sure he knew that he was there for him. Then he'd excused himself, but told him to call him if he needed anything, and had pulled the blankets up, tucking them around Peter and muttering something about keeping him from catching a chill.

Bruce had stopped by, too, and sat with him for a few minutes. Not long; just enough to ask if there was anything he needed. Peter had shaken his head, and Banner had pulled his blankets up, reminding him not to catch a chill. He'd patted Peter's shoulder before leaving, reminding him he knew where to find him if he needed someone to talk to.

Peter wondered if there was some kind of epidemic going around with people catching chills that he might have missed.

Steve Rogers stopped by not long after Bruce left. He brushed a hand through Peter's hair before sitting on the edge of the chair, commenting on just how much he'd liked May and what a great person she'd been. The kind words had made Peter tear up, which he knew Steve hadn't intended, and he'd found himself being held by him while he'd cried once more. Peter tried to apologize, but Steve just hugged him closer and told him not to be stupid.

Natasha had chosen that moment to come check on Peter. She saw what was happening, of course, and understood immediately why, and then had been quick to make light of things, well aware that Peter would be embarrassed that he'd broken down and was smearing _Captain America_ with tears.

"What did you _do_ , Steve?" she asked, her hand going to the back of Peter's head, caressing him. "Pinch him?"

Both of them looked up at her, and she winked at Peter, giving him a tender smile.

Rogers caught on quickly, and he smiled at Peter, rubbing his hair affectionately.

"Told him that he lost the bet and had to wear that Bigfoot shirt you brought Strange last time we went to Seattle."

Natasha snorted, and Steve stood up.

"I'm going to leave you guys alone," he said. "But if you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Steve…"

He nodded and headed inside, and Natasha took the spot Rogers vacated, her expression concerned, now that he was gone.

"Are you alright?"

Peter nodded, wiping his eyes.

"Just one too many people, I guess…"

"It can be overwhelming, I know," she agreed, sympathetically. She brushed her hand along his cheek. "I came to see if you're ready to eat lunch?"

"Not really," he admitted.

"Can I sit with you?"

He nodded, and she shifted until she was laying in the chair, and then pulled him down beside her, cuddling him right up against her before covering them both with the blankets. Neither minded at all that the chair handles forced them to be close. Peter liked being close to her. He snuggled right up against her, rested his cheek against her sternum and closed his eyes, well aware that she wouldn't have chosen that position for them if she didn't intend for them to sleep. Natasha wrapped her arms around him, and closed _her_ eyes, too. She was ready for a nap, and if _that_ was what Peter needed, then that much better.

He fell asleep almost immediately, worn out by his crying jag with Steve. She took only a little longer, and just as she drifted off, she felt another weight draping across the two of them and opened her eyes in time to see the Cloak of Levitation tucking itself around them. She smiled, feeling the additional warmth as the cloak finished situating itself, and knew that if it was there, then _Stephen_ most likely was somewhere around the compound as well.

He could come find her later. After her nap.

OOOOOOO

"Do I even _want_ to know why you look annoyed?"

Stark turned and saw Strange walking toward him down the corridor.

"I'm supposed to be having lunch."

"And…?"

"With _them_."

Tony gestured at the window, and Stephen came over to stand by him, looking the direction he pointed. He saw a lounge chair next to the field, and the cloak pedantically situating itself over whoever was on the chair – which meant it was probably Peter. He couldn't tell for certain since the chair was facing the wrong direction.

" _Them_?"

"Natasha went out to bring him in for lunch. Then apparently decided to join him, instead."

Strange shrugged.

"They both need the sleep."

"I know."

"You look like you could use some, as well."

"Pepper has already told me the same thing, so I will most likely nap sometime today. You might practice what you're preaching as well, doctor."

"I might," Stephen conceded, looking out at the lounge chair once more. "Of course, if I can find someone to cuddle with, it'd be even better…"

"Don't look at me."

Strange rolled his eyes, amused.

"Let's go have lunch."


	19. Chapter 19

"They look pretty comfortable."

"They can both sleep again after Peter eats if they want to."

Stark reached down and brushed a hand against Peter's cheek.

"Peter?"

The boy, _predictably_ , tucked his head even closer to Natasha's breast and didn't even open his eyes. Not helping things at all, the cloak shifted to cover Peter's head, protecting its charge from further nuisance.

Strange snorted, always amused when he saw the relic doing something so human-like.

Stark scowled at that – and at the cloak.

"A little help, Stephen?"

The doctor reached down and moved the cloak aside, revealing Peter's head once more – and Natasha's shoulder. He shook her gently.

"Hey, guys, we need you to get up."

"I'm comfortable," Peter told them, still not opening his eyes.

"Romanoff?" Tony asked, well aware that she had to be awake.

"I'm comfortable, too."

Of course they were. Huddled under the cloak and close enough to each other they could be in each other's skin, cuddled like a two person puppy pile. If the chair was bigger, Stark would have been tempted to invite himself to join. But as it was, it was getting late and he wanted to get some lunch into Peter.

"Come on. Once Peter eats you guys can sleep as long as you want to."

Romanoff sighed and opened her eyes, looking up at Stark, and then over to Strange, who smiled down at her. The cloak was not so willing to give up its position and it shooed the two of them away with a corner of fabric. They ignored it.

"What's for lunch?"

"Whatever you want."

It was hard to turn down an offer like that. Besides, she didn't want Peter skipping any meals, either. She turned her attention to the boy tucked up against her, and brushed her hand along his cheek.

"Come on, Peter. Let's go get lunch."

He didn't open his eyes, but he didn't _ignore_ her, either, Stephen noticed.

"I'm not hungry."

His stomach growled, though, proving to her that he was. He was just more comfortable than he was hungry. Strange could relate to the boy just then; it would have taken a whole lot more than the promise of lunch to get him to move if _he_ were in Peter's spot just then.

Romanoff smiled, and sat up, pulling him upright with her and forcing him to open his eyes.

"You need to eat," she told him. "I do, too."

He grumbled, but he didn't defy her. Instead, he got up, and then reached a hand to her to pull her to her feet as well.

"Where are we eating?"

"The lounge?"

Romanoff ran her fingers through her hair, restoring it to its pre bedhead condition and yawned. She felt better after the nap, even if it had only been a few hours long.

They walked to the lounge together, with Natasha and Peter much more awake by the time they arrived.

"What did you do today?" Romanoff asked the two as they took the table in the corner.

Stark looked over at Peter.

"We set May's funereal for the morning after tomorrow. There will be a graveside service, and then a reception – or whatever you want to call it – at the tower, after."

Peter felt a flash of sorrow, and almost blurted that he didn't want to go, but he _did_. It would be his last chance to say his goodbyes to her and the final chance to do it away from the apartment. He nodded, instead.

"Okay."

Stark couldn't miss the ache in the boy's eyes, and he wanted so much to hold him just then. Instead, though, he continued, knowing these were things that Peter needed to know. He couldn't just wake him up that morning and say _hey, let's go bury your aunt_.

"They're packing the apartment and moving the contents to a storage area at the tower. Anything that you don't want will go to homeless shelters or charities."

"I don't want any of it," Peter said.

"Don't be so hasty, Peter," Strange told him, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, understanding completely, and admiring May all the more for being so intelligent.

The apartment was where he'd lost her, and Peter was never going to forget that. He hated it, and almost certainly would never step foot in it again, if he had the choice. May had known her nephew well enough to realize that – which was why she'd declined Tony Stark's offer of having her moved to the Avenger compound when things started getting bad. If she had died _there_ , it was entirely possible that Peter wouldn't have wanted anything to do with the place, after.

"You have plenty of time to decide what you want," Tony told him, his look also understanding. "She also had a safe deposit box that only you can access."

"You're executor."

"Of _her_ estate," he agreed. "The box is only in _your_ name. She set it up that way. _She_ couldn't get into it, either, once she signed all the paperwork."

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know," Stark admitted. "She mentioned the box to me, but not what was in it, and when Pepper asked they told her that you had to be the one to open it."

Peter nodded.

"Okay."

He was curious, since May had never mentioned the box to him, and wondered what she'd wanted to hide from him. Or maybe save for him. Not so curious that he wanted to get up and go find out this minute, though. He was almost afraid of what he'd find, really. As he'd proven with Steve, he knew he was more than capable of breaking into tears at any minute, and he'd rather not willingly put himself into a situation that almost guaranteed that he'd lose what little emotional control he'd managed any time soon.

"That's it," Tony told him, not wanting to overwhelm him with details that he didn't need to know about.

Emotions were still running way too exposed to ask him to decide things that didn't have any immediate bearing on his future. What he wanted out of his old room would wait. Rather than take him back to the apartment, Stark decided that he'd have the moving company pack Peter's room entirely and set those boxes aside in a different room for easier access.

"Okay."

OOOOOOO

By the time they had stuffed him and Natasha with lunch, Peter wasn't tired enough to go back to sleep like Stark had promised he could. Natasha wasn't, either. She pressed a kiss against his temple and thanked him for keeping her company, then excused herself to go take care of some administrative things she'd put aside, but needed to look at. She also had a couple of trips that she and the others were planning, but she, Clint and Steve had already decided that they would wait until after the funeral.

"Wong is working on a project that he's going to want your assistance with," Strange told the boy as the three walked toward Stark's quarters.

The two men were flanking the boy, and the cloak was hovering between Stark and Peter, a corner of fabric on the boy's shoulder, perfectly mimicking the way Tony would have his hand on Peter when they walked. The action wasn't lost on Strange, who had smiled when he first noticed what the relic was doing, thinking that Tony Stark might not be the best example for an ancient magical relic, but was almost certainly the most amusing. Stark must have recognized it as well, because he simply rolled his eyes at the thing.

"Yeah?"

"Not this moment, but eventually – when you're feeling up to it."

"What is it?" Tony asked, torn between curiosity and concern.

Wong liked trying out Peter's spider senses, and other abilities, but generally did it with magical means that weren't always _safe_. Like flinging magical bolts at the boy to see how many he could dodge – or the latest, making a shield in the air to see if Peter could use it for web slinging. Which he had been able to stick webbing to and swing from, but then the shield had vanished, and so had that support and Peter had taken a tumble. He hadn't been injured - that time - but who knew what new craziness the man was planning in that crazy, magical place?

"We have a lot of relics at the sanctum – obviously – and like the cloak, there are some that we don't know much about. Where they came from, who created them, even what they do, really."

"So?"

"Wong wants to see if Peter can make any kind of connection with them, like he did with the cloak. See if we can learn more about them directly from _them_ , and get that information catalogued into a book somewhere so the knowledge isn't lost again."

"Cool…" Peter looked interested, but Tony frowned, glancing at the cloak hovering beside him as they walked.

"I'm not going to be happy if these things all fall in love with him and we have magic toasters, or flying pocket protectors and ceiling fans all following him around the compound…"

The cloak was one thing; it was _useful_ and Stark actually _liked_ it, but enough was enough, after all.

Peter laughed, and even Strange had to smile at that.

"We'll be careful."


	20. Chapter 20

"What are you guys up to?" Pepper asked when they reached their quarters.

She'd been at her desk working, but when she saw them enter the room she stood up and walked over. She knew Tony had cleared his afternoon to spend time with Peter, and assumed that since he was there, Stephen had as well.

"I think a movie," Stark said, looking at the others.

Peter was fine with that; he could always watch a movie. Stephen wasn't the movie buff that Peter was, but he nodded as well. He probably could have found several things better to do with his afternoon, but he wanted to spend time with Peter, and a movie would be a relaxing way to do it.

"In the _bedroom_ , please," Pepper said, motioning toward the door.

She was working, and could do without explosions and screaming in the background.

"Yes, dear."

Tony led them into the bedroom, which was considerably larger than the one in the VIP rooms or even in Peter's quarters. There was the bed, a sofa and of course the TV. Strange settled himself on the sofa, and Tony tossed him a couple of pillows and a blanket to make himself comfortable. Stark and Peter took the bed, with Peter on his belly with a pillow tucked under him, his head toward the foot of the bed and Tony beside him on his back propped up by an overstuffed pillow against the headboard.

They turned the TV on and the lights off, and the cloak draped itself over Peter, but wasn't at all interested in watching a movie. Not even the Mummy. Instead, it spent the beginning credits caressing Peter's ears and humming cheerfully in the boy's head. Tony checked Peter, decided that the cloak would keep him warm enough and then pulled a blanket over himself. Peter looked over in the darkened room and saw that Strange had done the same, stretched out on the couch with his head propped on a pillow and his eyes closed. He was asleep already.

Long before the Mummy started terrorizing the people on the boat, soft snoring from behind him told Peter that Stark had fallen asleep as well. He turned his head to confirm it, but didn't really need to.

Both men were exhausted, and it wasn't surprising that they didn't last long in the dark room, covered with warm blankets and nothing to worry about to keep them awake at that moment. Peter hesitated. He wasn't used to being the one to be awake during the movie, after all.

He finally reached out, took the remote from beside Stark and turned the TV off, pitching the room in almost total darkness since the blinds were shrouded. He waited long enough to make sure the lack of sound didn't disturb either man, and then eased himself out of the bed to avoid waking Tony with any undue motion and let himself out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

"What's wrong?" Pepper asked from her desk, noticing him immediately.

Of course, it was hard to miss a kid walking across her living room with an animated blanket hanging from his shoulders, rubbing his ears.

Peter shook his head, walking over to the desk to avoid speaking any louder than necessary.

"Nothing. They fell asleep."

"Both of them?"

"Yeah."

"What were you watching?"

"The Mummy."

"Well, their loss." She closed the laptop she'd been working on. "That means I get you to myself for a while."

That made him feel good, because she looked like she really meant that it was a good thing.

"You're not too busy?"

"Nope." Pepper stood up, and walked around the desk and then sat down on the corner of it, giving him a frank look and reaching for his hand to pull him closer to her. "Just so you know, I'm never going to be too busy for you if you need something. Okay?"

"Okay."

She pulled him into a spontaneous hug, and he put his arms around her, resting his cheek on her shoulder.

"Tony told you about the funeral?" she asked, not letting him go, in case it was an upsetting topic. She needed to know, though, because she needed to know what he needed.

He nodded.

"Yeah."

"Do you have a suit?"

"No."

He hadn't even thought of that.

Pepper pulled back so she could look at him.

"Do you feel up to going for a drive?"

"Sure."

"Then we'll go find you a suit. And maybe some other clothes, just to make sure you don't get stuck running around here naked. I could use a few things, too."

"Shopping?"

She smiled, and slapped his shoulder.

"You say that like it's a _bad_ thing, Peter. We'll see if Natasha is busy, so you'll have more opinions than just mine, and make an afternoon of it."

He smiled, and then shrugged.

"Okay."

If that was what she wanted, he wasn't going to say no.

OOOOOOOOO

Natasha wasn't busy. Certainly not too busy to spend time with Peter _and_ go shopping. Leaving the cloak in Stark's quarters since it showed no interest in playing dumb rug while they were out and about, Pepper drove them into the city and their first stop was the same tailor that Tony used.

They fitted the boy for a suit and had no issue when Pepper told them that they needed it to be rushed. They were used to Tony Stark, after all, and he was terrible when it came to waiting for anything. They told them they'd be back and the two women swept him off with them to do some serious shopping.

By the time the call came in to Pepper's phone that the suit was ready, she and Natasha had found plenty of other things that they decided that Peter couldn't live without. He now had several dress shirts, a couple of pairs of slacks, new shoes – dress shoes and sneakers – underwear, socks, jeans, t-shirts, a hat that was similar to the one Ned owned and Peter was sure he'd probably _never_ wear, and a new jacket.

Which was nothing compared to what the women had bought for themselves. Peter wondered just how often they did the shopping thing as he found himself sitting in a chair outside the dressing room, with a group of men who were obviously doing the same thing he was – only he was doing it _twice_ – waiting for them to come out and show off the last thing that they'd decided to try on. And there were plenty to see, each one beautiful, sexy, or just plain classy to look at.

When Pepper came out the third time – this time in an emerald green dress that fit her even better than her the last dress had, and had a slit up the right thigh – one of the men sitting in the chair beside him shook his head, impressed, but waited until she'd gone back into the changing room before he spoke up.

"Which one is your _mom_?" he asked.

"Neither."

"Is the blonde seeing anyone?" Another man asked from a chair across from Peter.

Peter nodded, well aware that the guy was there with his wife.

"Yeah."

"Big guy?"

Peter shrugged, and then nodded.

"Pretty big."

"She's pretty."

"Yeah, she is."

"What about the sexy red head?" asked the man who was seated beside him, looking over at the other guys in the waiting area to see if they agreed with his opinion of Romanoff and not realizing Natasha had returned, wearing a black dress that was similar to the one Pepper had been wearing, only the slit was a little higher, and the front was a little lower, and she looked stunning in it. " _She_ seeing anyone?"

He turned, and then reddened when he saw that the object of his interest had definitely heard what he'd asked. Natasha smiled at his discomfiture and leaned over and kissed Peter, shocking all the men in the room. Her hair fell over the two of them as she did, hiding the fact that she'd actually just kissed the corner of his mouth – close enough to his cheek that it didn't even make Peter blush, and she winked at him as she straightened up, making him smile.

"I'm with _him_ ," she told the man, before turning and walking back to the changing room.

They all watched her until she'd vanished, and then every face turned toward Peter. The boy straightened his shoulders and tried to act nonchalant about the whole business. As if extremely hot women kissed him all the time.

"How _old_ are you?" the guy across from him asked.

"Fifteen."

"Damn."

OOOOOOOOO

Tony and Stephen were both in the garage, waiting for them when they pulled into the compound much later than they'd intended. Communication watches made for a lot less stress when a person woke up from a nap and found everyone gone. Especially when they'd really intended for _Peter_ to be the one that actually napped that afternoon.

Pepper turned off the car and smiled at Tony when he opened her door for her, but she gestured to the sleeping form in the backseat to warn him from slamming it shut.

"We stopped to eat dinner," she told him softly. "Go ahead and just put him to bed."

Natasha opened the backdoor of the car for Stark, who gathered Peter up into his arms and then noticed the mountain of bags that had shared the backseat with the sleeping boy.

"A _little_ shopping?" he asked, amused.

"He needed a few things," she said, not at all defensively.

"Like this new dress?" Strange asked, holding up the black dress in its plastic garment bag, curiously.

Pepper smiled.

" _We_ needed a few things, too."

"How did you manage to convince him to go shopping with you?" Tony asked, looking down at the boy in his arms and pressing his cheek tenderly against Peter's.

Natasha smirked.

"Shopping with us has its _own_ rewards," she pointed out.


	21. Chapter 21

_She was smiling at him._

 _The smile he remembered so well. Full of love, and an incredible amount of patience for all of the crazy, ridiculously dumb things he'd ever done – and there_ had _been a few._

 _"I'm proud of you."_

 _"Then don't_ leave _me."_

 _"That isn't how it works."_

 _"It's not_ fair _."_

 _"I know. I love you."_

 _"Then don't leave me."_

 _"_ Peter _…"_

 _"It isn't fair."_

 _"I know."_

 _"I'll miss you."_

 _"You'll be in good hands."_

 _"I already_ was _in good hands."_

 _"They love you."_

 _"I know. I love them."_

 _"They will take care of you."_

 _"Until_ they _leave me, too."_

 _"They won't."_

 _"You told me you wouldn't – and you did. Dad said it, too. I remember. 'I'll be back before you know it.' And he wasn't. Everyone leaves me."_

 _"Everyone isn't Ironman."_

 _"No."_

 _"Or Captain America."_

 _"I know."_

 _"Or a bad-ass super spy."_

 _"I know."_

 _"Or a magician with a cloak that can save you from a bear."_

 _He turned away from her. She didn't know all of that._

 _"I hate bad news…"_

 _Every time someone had bad news for him, someone he loved leaves._

 _"I know. It's part of life, though."_

 _"I don't care."_

 _If they can't find you, they can't give you the bad news._

 _I don't want bad news._

 _Then hide from them._

 _I_ need _them._

 _Just hide from the bad news._

 _Yeah. I could do that._

 _He could hide. If the bad news doesn't find him, then things won't go bad again._

That makes sense.

OOOOOOOOOO

It was getting late. All their purchases had been toted to their rooms, thanks to some help from Stephen and Clint – who had been unfortunate enough to happen by at just the time a package toter was needed. He'd grumbled good-naturedly, but had carried a lot of Pepper's bags to her rooms for her.

Peter had been put to bed and Stephen had left with his cloak, telling them that he'd be back the next day, most likely. Clint had played cards with Stark, Pepper and Nat, but he'd excused himself after a short time to go to bed, leaving the three in the lounge.

They were telling Tony about the shopping trip, and Pepper was explaining how they'd tried to convince Peter that sandwiches didn't always have to be smashed flat to be edible when Stark's watch chimed. He frowned.

"Friday?"

 _"Peter just left the facility."_

Stark was on his feet immediately.

"What entrance?"

 _"West side."_

"Sleepwalking?" Pepper asked.

"Probably. But I'll go make sure it's not just a midnight stroll."

"I'll come, too," Natasha said.

They headed for the door in question, and once outside Tony went Ironman so he could use his scanners.

"Friday?"

" _There."_

A red blip, only fifty feet away or so.

Stark deactivated the suit and looked, Natasha following his gaze.

"There he is."

They walked over to the lounge chair that had been left on the edge of the field. In the light of the spotlights, they both saw a blanketed form underneath it. With a bare foot sticking out from under it.

"Not a midnight stroll," Stark said to Romanoff as the two crouched down.

"No. probably not."

"Peter?"

There was no response.

Tony lifted the chair up and out of the way, then judged the shape of the blanketed form and the angle that led from the exposed foot and carefully lifted an edge of the blanket. Peter looked up at them.

"Go away," he whispered.

"What are you _doing_?" Stark asked, reaching down and brushing tender fingers carefully against his cheek.

His skin was cold and he was shivering.

"I'm hiding."

"From who?"

"Bad news."

He pulled the blanket back over his head, and Tony and Natasha looked at each other, understanding immediately, of course.

"Sleepwalking?" Stark whispered. "Or just despondent or something?"

Natasha carefully pulled the blanket back once more.

"Peter? What's the square root of 4?"

"Tree branches."

He pulled the blanket back over his head.

"Sleepwalking," Stark said.

"We'll put him in my bed," Natasha told him.

It was closer.

"Yeah."

Gently, trying not to wake him and freak him out, Tony got the blanket off him and picked him up. Wearing nothing but a pair of sweats, it was no surprise that the boy was shivering and chilled. Stark shifted him in his arms just enough to make sure he didn't drop him and wondered where his socks and shirt had disappeared to. He'd had both on when he'd put him to bed earlier.

"I need to _hide_ ," Peter told them, realizing that he was dreadfully exposed once more.

"It's okay," Tony replied, brushing his cheek against the boy's and turning toward the building, with Natasha matching strides with him. "I know a _much_ better hiding place for you."

Romanoff saw the hand almost automatically come up and touch Tony's cheek, run along his chin and the drop once more. She wasn't surprised at all when he settled against Stark's body without another objection and closed his eyes.

OOOOOOOO

"You got him okay?"

Natasha nodded, watching as Tony pulled the blankets over Peter. He was still cold, but not shaking.

"Yeah. I was going to go to bed soon, anyway. He won't be able to sneak by me if he tries to find a new hiding spot later."

Stark knew that was a fact.

"If you need me, call."

"Go get some sleep, Tony. He'll be fine in the morning."

"Yeah."

Stark lingered just a moment, which she completely understood, and then he left. Natasha went through her quarters and turned off all the lights. Then went back to her bedroom, pulled back the blankets enough to allow herself to slide into her bed beside the boy, cuddling right up beside him and covering them both.

Peter rolled, turning to be right up against her, his chilled skin instinctively seeking out her warm body, and his arms tucked between them to try and get warm. Romanoff wrapped her arms around him, holding him close enough to feel when he sighed.

"I'm hiding, Natasha," he mumbled, his lips near enough to her ear that she had no trouble hearing him.

"I _know_ ," she assured him. "Go to sleep, Peter."

He did. His body relaxed against hers as he warmed up and his head dropped from her shoulder to her collarbone.

Of course, he'd never really been awake in the first place.

OOOOOOOOO

"Is he all right?" Pepper asked, when Tony returned to the lounge a few minutes after leaving Romanoff's quarters.

"Yeah. He was in the field – under the lounge chair."

"What? Why on earth was he _under_ it?"

"Said he was _hiding_."

"Oh. Poor baby."

"Yeah. We'll want to ask around and find a good psychologist for him to talk all this out once things settle a little."

"I agree."

This was something that he could be helped with. Not Avengers issues, or Loki attacking him, or almost dying because Spiderman couldn't handle the same nutmeg issue that all his high school friends shook off in only a matter of days. There was no reason to worry about his secret coming out.

This was just finding a way to help him through the loss of a loved one. Something a good doctor could help with.

"Natasha has him?"

He nodded, and finished the drink that had been interrupted by Friday's warning. He was ready for bed, too.

"Who better to hide with, really, than an assassin?"

" _Ironman_?"

He smiled, because that was true.

"She called dibs, first."


	22. Chapter 22

Peter slept late the next morning and woke up feeling just a little off kilter. Not _terrible_ , really, just a little off. His head ached a bit and he felt warmer than was really comfortable.

Natasha had noticed the extra warmth, of course. She had him tucked right up against her when he woke, more than willing to sleep a little late, herself, really. She couldn't miss the fact that he seemed to feel a little warmer than _she_ did, and when he opened his eyes she leaned over and brushed a kiss against his forehead, testing for fever.

"Hi, Natasha," he whispered, watching her, owlishly.

"Hi, baby. How did you sleep?"

"I don't know…" he admitted, looking around and not seeing his fridge, telling him that he wasn't in his bedroom. "Did I sleepwalk?"

"Yeah." She smiled, silently letting him know that it hadn't been anything serious. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah."

She frowned, testing his forehead with her hand, this time.

"Are you _sure_?"

"A little warm, maybe."

Romanoff nodded.

"I think you are, yeah. I'll go let Tony know, so we can have you checked out."

Peter shook his head.

"It's not a big deal. You don't need to bother him."

"I think he'd be more bothered if we _didn't_ tell him," she pointed out.

He closed his eyes and snuggled closer to her side, not feeling up to the debate just then. He buried his face against her and sighed, sleepily. Romanoff caressed his cheek and hair, watched him fall back to sleep, and then slid out of the bed, carefully, to avoid waking him.

OOOOOOO

They didn't call Stephen. For one thing, the Avenger facility had a few very capable doctors who could check for a simple cold. A _brain surgeon_ wasn't really needed at the moment. For another, Tony decided that if on the off chance that Strange was taking an opportunity to sleep in, then there was no reason to wake him up for something so minor. He was going to be there later, anyway, and could do his own check of Peter then, if he wanted to.

Which they all knew he would.

The doctor that arrived a short time after Stark had called her gave Peter a simple checkup and didn't even wake the boy to do it. Then she went out into the living area of Natasha's quarters, where Pepper had joined Tony and Natasha while waiting.

"He's caught a cold," she told the three, shrugging. "His heart is fine, temp is up a little and there is some congestion in his lungs. It's probably been coming on in the last few days and just finally got the upper hand."

"What do we do?" Pepper asked before Tony could.

"Keep him in bed, make sure he eats, keep him hydrated and let him sleep it out."

"He has a funeral tomorrow," Stark told her.

There was no way they were going to keep him from it.

She nodded.

"Keep him in bed today, then put him back to bed after tomorrow. It should run its course in a week or two."

"Thanks."

"I'll check on him later."

She left and they went into Natasha's bedroom to check on him, but he was asleep and not too interesting to watch.

"I could move him over to his room," Stark offered.

Romanoff shrugged.

"He's fine where he is."

"I think I'll sit with him for a while," Pepper said, tilting her head a little. "Tony? Will you bring me my laptop so I can work?"

"Sure."

Stark left, and Natasha watched as Pepper settled herself on the edge of the bed.

"If you get bored watching him, call and I'll come take over."

"Thanks."

"And, if you try to feed him and he refuses, just offer him a protein shake. He'll eat whatever you are giving him before he'll drink one of those."

Pepper smiled at that.

"The voice of experience talking?"

"Absolutely."

Romanoff got herself ready for her day and left, and when Tony returned with Pepper's laptop, he told her that he'd go find something for them to feed the boy for breakfast, but that if she needed him before he returned to call him.

OOOOOOOOO

It was Pepper who woke him up. She brushed her hand along his cheek, leaning slightly against him.

"Peter?"

"Hmm?"

"Wake up, sweetheart."

He opened his eyes, wondering why Pepper was in his room with him, and looked around and realized that he wasn't in _his_ room at all. But then he realized that he wasn't in _hers_ , either. It was suspiciously similar to Natasha's bedroom.

Peter blinked a couple of times, trying to wake himself up a bit more, and saw Pepper smiling at him, and Stark watching him over her shoulder.

"Good morning."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Tony assured him. "We need you to eat something."

Peter frowned. He was pretty sure he hadn't done anything to deserve breakfast in bed.

"Breakfast?"

"More like _brunch_ , really," Pepper clarified. "Sit up a little, will you…"

He _did_ , because he was hungry, and still confused. When he was upright, Stark set a tray across his lap that had a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a couple of rolls on it.

"This is _brunch_?"

Pepper smiled.

"Did you have something else in mind?"

"A burger?"

"I _told_ you he'd be hungrier than _soup_ ," Pepper told Stark.

Tony shrugged. He was used to Peter being sick and not willing to eat at all. He was surprised that he wasn't getting any pushback about _eating_ , much less what he was being _offered_.

"Sick people eat _soup_ ," he replied. "Peter, eat the soup, I'll go get you a burger to wash it down."

"Okay. Thanks."

He looked at Pepper when Stark had left.

"I'm _sick_?"

"Just a cold, the doctor said. Nothing to worry about."

"Doctor _Strange_?"

"No. Doctor Adams. One of the facility doctors."

"Oh." He picked up a roll and nibbled on it, still distracted, but trying not to annoy her with a bunch of questions. Especially since she had her laptop and he was sure she was trying to get some work done. He couldn't resist, though. "Where's Doctor Strange?"

He was used to _him_ , after all.

Pepper smiled at the question and didn't seem annoyed at all.

"He hasn't been by, yet, today. He mentioned last night that he'd probably come by, though."

Besides, they all knew that Stephen liked to swing by and say hello to a certain Avenger whenever he had the time. And it _wasn't_ Captain America.

"Okay."

Peter ate the roll and just tipped the bowl, sipping all the broth out of the soup before tackling the chicken and the noodles. Pepper watched him, not at all interested in working just then.

"How do you feel?"

"I'm okay," he assured her.

Now that he was awake, he felt better than he had.

"We're going to keep you in bed today, all right? _Doctor's orders_."

"I feel okay."

"Good."

"So I can get up later?"

"No. Bed today."

"But-"

She held her hand up to forestall any argument, more than capable of handling anything he could throw at her when she dealt with Tony all the time.

"We'll see what Stephen says if he comes by later. Until then, though, my job is to make sure you do what the doctor tells us you need to do. Right now, that means you spend the day sleeping."

He sighed, and she really expected him to argue with her. But then he nodded.

"Okay."

Pepper smiled, and then leaned over to brush a kiss against his forehead, noting when she did that he _was_ feverish.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Do you need anything else while we wait for your burger?"

He shook his head.

"Just your _company_ , if you're willing…"

Which made her feel warm and gooey inside.

"Of course."


	23. Chapter 23

" _Well_?"

Strange looked up from checking Peter's pulse. Tony, Pepper and Natasha were all watching him intently. _Peter_ , on the other hand, had slept through the entire checkup Stephen had just given him and showed no sign of waking up any time soon.

Of course, from what he'd been told, the boy had been stuffed with a fairly large lunch and then lulled back to sleep by Pepper sitting next to him, an arm around him to hold him close.

"Your Doctor Adams is right," Strange said, brushing a hand across Peter's forehead, tenderly. "It looks like a cold."

"Is he going to be okay?" Stark asked.

"Kids get colds, Tony," Strange told him, gesturing to the Cloak of Levitation to go ahead and cuddle with Peter now that he was finished checking the boy out. "You guys _have_ one, now, you'd better get used to it."

They both gave him an odd look at that, and he realized that it was probably the first time either of them had thought of it that way – even though they were both very aware of their responsibility to Peter. He was right, though. They had a kid, now – a _teenager_ , no less – and they'd have to get used to the fact that even one as remarkable as Peter was still subject to the more common ailments that could knock a kid down for a while.

"So we keep him in bed today?"

"Yes. And make sure he drinks plenty of fluids when he's awake. That's even more important than feeding him, really."

"Okay."

"And try to keep him from sleepwalking, if you can."

"That won't be a problem," Natasha assured him. "Pepper and Tony are watching him today, and I'll be taking over at bedtime, of course."

"Good enough."

Strange walked out of the bedroom, followed by them.

"He's not too sick to attend the funeral, is he?" Pepper asked, worried.

"No. This is _nothing_ like the nutmeg thing, guys. It's a _cold_. When we're done tomorrow, though, he goes back to bed, and he _stays_ there until I let him up."

Which made Natasha smile, because he certainly was at least as protective of Peter as Stark and Pepper were. Almost as if he was offended that they'd dare let a different doctor take care of the boy.

"Thanks, Stephen," Tony told him, meaning it.

"You're welcome."

Tony excused himself to go back to the bedroom, and Strange looked at the two women.

"Did you have lunch, Stephen?" Pepper asked.

"I _have_. But I wouldn't say no if someone offered me something to drink and some company."

"Cribbage?" Natasha asked.

"Perfect."

He offered an arm to each of them, and they left Romanoff's quarters and headed for the lounge.

OOOOOOOO

Peter slept restlessly as the day progressed.

Stark started in a chair beside the bed, with his feet propped up on the edge, looking through his tablet while sitting with the boy. A position he'd taken countless times when Peter had been so sick before. When Peter rolled slightly away from Tony, mumbling something and then making an odd noise, Stark had become concerned that he'd roll himself right out of the bed, and had moved to sit _beside_ him, propping the boy against him with one arm.

Peter had responded by cuddling against him in his sleep. He draped an arm over Tony's stomach getting him as close to him as he physically could, clearly wanting the contact and the comfort that came with that touch, even though he was uncomfortably warm because of the mild fever he was running.

The cloak was draped over Peter and Stark, doing what it could to comfort. It would occasionally caressing the boy's cheek when he'd shift, or mumble something in his sleep. Yet another reason Tony could appreciate having it there, even though it probably wasn't helping too much when it came to the fever.

Stark suspected that the impending funeral was what had the boy's sleep so troubled. He supposed that it was entirely possible Peter was having bad dreams about it, or maybe just the anxiety of facing the ordeal was bleeding into his subconscious, made worse by being sick. He didn't know, but he finally tossed his tablet onto Natasha's nightstand and pulled Peter into his arms completely, murmuring gently to him whenever he so much as moved in his sleep.

It seemed to help, because he finally dropped into a deeper sleep and wasn't nearly so restless.

OOOOOOO

Peter woke with a start. And immediately felt someone tighten their hold on him.

"Easy…"

The voice told him all he needed to know, and he opened his eyes and turned his head to look at up at Stark.

"Hey…"

He brushed his hand against Peter's forehead and the boy closed his eyes for just a moment at the touch. He'd been dreaming about his father, and how he used to hold him and cuddle him. They were _his_ memories, but once again conveyed by the Mind stone, dredged up from his distant past, when he would never have been able to recall them on his own.

"How do you feel?" Stark asked him.

"Okay. _Hot_ , but not like before."

"Think you could handle something to eat?"

"Yeah."

Another brush of that hand against his forehead.

"Are you going to stay awake to eat it?"

Peter opened his eyes, again, and nodded.

"Sure."

"Preference?"

"Not _soup_."

Tony smiled at that, and pressed his cheek affectionately against Peter's and the boy closed his eyes for just another moment at the familiar sensation of facial hair brushing against his cheek. It wasn't the same man, he knew it in his _mind_ , but it felt similar and brought back so many happy emotions that he let himself be soothed for just the briefest of moments as if it were.

Without thinking, Peter brought his hand up to Mr. Stark's jaw and brushed his fingers along it.

"Can you handle meatloaf?" Stark asked him, holding Peter's hand where it was.

 _He_ didn't understand the reason the boy was always touching his jaw and his chin, and he didn't _care_. He was willing to let him do it if that was what comforted him. It was only _fair_ , since Peter's forehead was a favorite target of his own.

"Yeah."

"With potatoes?"

"Yeah."

"Corn on the cob?"

"No."

 _That_ seemed like a bit too much effort, really.

Tony didn't leave, he just used his watch to advise Pepper that Peter was awake, knowing that she was probably still with Natasha and Strange – who was probably still in the compound or the cloak wouldn't still be there.

Sure enough, the three of them arrived back in Romanoff's room only a few minutes after his call.

Strange walked around to the side of the bed closest to the boy, who Stark had released and was now sitting upright with the cloak draped over his shoulders playing with his hair.

"Peter…"

"Hey, Doctor Strange."

Stephen laid a palm against the boy's forehead, and the other hand took his wrist to check his pulse.

"Caught a cold, huh?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"So am I." He smiled, and let the wrist go. "But it gives me a good excuse to come see you, I suppose."

"Yeah."

"How do you feel?"

"Okay. A little warm."

"Headaches? Dizziness?"

"No, not really. But I haven't been up, either."

Or _awake_ , for that matter.

"Ready to eat?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have anything in particular in mind?"

"Mr. Stark offered _meatloaf and potatoes_ …"

Strange looked at Tony.

"Is that what they're having in the _commissary_ tonight?"

Tony shrugged. "No clue. I just assumed _you'd_ take care of the menu…" He waved his fingers, suggestively.

Strange rolled his eyes, and Peter wasn't the only one to smile at the mock exasperation in his expression.

"Meatloaf it is, then," Strange told Peter, pleased to see that he didn't look as miserable as he might have. "But only because I _like_ you. Otherwise you'd be eating whatever everyone _else_ is eating – even if it's leftovers."

"Thanks."

Strange looked at Pepper and Natasha. He'd spent the afternoon with them, so he knew _they_ hadn't eaten dinner, yet, either.

"Ladies?"

"Meatloaf is fine," Pepper agreed.

Natasha nodded.

"I'd like a _steak_ ," Tony told him, wiggling his fingers again.

"Meatloaf."

"Fine. Meatloaf."


	24. Chapter 24

The morning of the funeral dawned bright and sunny, but clouds were gathering on the horizon and there was no doubt that it was going to be a cold, rainy day.

It didn't matter to Peter, though, because it suited his mood perfectly. He didn't feel _too_ terrible when he woke up next to Natasha that morning. She was even gentler with him than usual, and he appreciated it because he felt that he was very much on the emotional edge from the moment he opened his eyes and realized what the day was. Holding him against her, she'd pressed her cheek to his.

"If it becomes too much, it's okay to tell one of us so we can help you step back. Understand?"

He'd nodded and buried his face against her for a long moment before pulling away and getting out of her bed.

He put on his new suit and checked himself in the mirror to make sure he looked right for his final goodbye to May and decided that if she were there she'd have called him handsome. Probably would have made some dumb James Bond joke that would have made him roll his eyes and made her smile at the fact that she'd teased him into it. Which made him want to cry, of course.

Steve and Clint were waiting for him in the corridor when he left his quarters. Both men were wearing dark suits with white shirts and dark ties, and both hugged him close when he joined them. Before he could say anything Natasha's door opened and she walked out, looking very classy in a black dress and a half jacket. She hugged Peter, too, and then hooked her arm in his and the three kept him company as they walked down to the lounge for breakfast. The message was clear. They were there for him. Whatever he needed.

Tony and Pepper were waiting at the corner table. Her in a dress similar to Natasha's and Stark wearing a suit almost identical to Peter's. Which made sense, since the same tailor had made both. Both stood up when the group walked over, and Pepper's hug was long and filled with compassion and love. He sniffed, but refused to ruin a dress that he knew was brand new – since he'd seen her model it when shopping with her – by bawling all over her.

Tony settled Peter in between him and Pepper at the table.

"Stephen should be here pretty soon," he told Peter – and the others. "He said 7:30 and –"

"He's here," Peter interrupted, feeling the magical tingle that he recognized as Strange moving himself or someone or something around.

Sure enough, a moment later the doctor walked into the room, dressed sharp, but in all black. The cloak was not present, but that was no surprise to any of them. Bruce arrived at the same time, from a different direction, and they all sat down together, Strange pausing just long enough to brush a hand across Peter's forehead and check his cold symptoms.

Then they were served breakfast. Which was a wasted effort since the others ate very little and Peter just pushed his food around his plate and rarely looked up. He was clearly lost in his own world at the moment and not ready to be more than a transient observer to things that were going on around him. The conversation was fairly muted. Not strained, just quiet compared to normal breakfast chatter.

Stark watched Peter, carefully, and finally pushed his plate away.

"Are we ready?"

They all nodded and stood up, and headed for the garage.

Happy was waiting by the limousine. He was dressed in a black suit as well, and he brushed a hand across Peter's shoulders as the boy got in the car. Stark looked over at Rogers.

"We'll meet you there."

Steve nodded.

He, Bruce and Clint were going to go separately. Happy was going to drive the others, but they were going to stop and pick up Ned and his mother. Surrounding Peter exclusively with grownups wasn't healthy – and Ned was the boy's best friend. He _needed_ to be there. Not to mention that Ned and his mom had known May for many years and had lost someone that they loved, too. After the graveside service there would be a reception at the tower but no pre-funeral church service, since May hadn't wanted to force her nephew into enduring one long drawn out ceremony in the church and following it with another at the cemetery.

The rain that had threatened started sprinkling as they drove into the city. It wasn't an issue. Overcoats and jackets appeared from nowhere, piled on the seat beside Pepper, who was sitting next to Peter. Umbrellas followed; enough for all of them, and Ned and his mother, too, if they needed one.

They didn't. Both were waiting when the limo pulled up to their apartment building, and Pepper moved to sit on the other side of Tony, freeing a space for Ned to sit beside Peter. His mother hugged the boy, admired his new suit and kissed his cheek before taking the empty space beside Strange, across from Peter, and Ned sat beside his friend. It was the measure of the mood of the day that Ned was silent and somber.

A far cry from his usual animated self.

OOOOOOOO

A pavilion had been set up by the newly dug grave to protect those who had braved the now steady rain to say their goodbyes to May. They walked over to join the group of people, and all eyes went to Peter, who walked between Ned and Stark.

"You okay?" Tony murmured, softly.

Peter nodded as they moved to the side of the grave, looking first at May's casket, which was positioned and ready to be lowered into the hole in the ground, and then to the other side of it.

"I've been here, before."

Stark followed his gaze, looking at the two marble headstones on the other side of the empty grave. May was going to be buried next to her brother, who had been buried beside his wife, of course. Even in the gloomy rain, the marble shone bright. Tony put his hand on Peter's shoulder, and nodded to the preacher who had been waiting under an umbrella to start whenever they were ready.

OOOOOOOO

It was a simple service. Already intended that way, the rain made sure that not a lot of those who attended lingered to say anything more than necessary. Peter moved out from under the protection of the pavilion and watched as the casket was lowered into the grave. He had an umbrella, but his fingers were numb and it was at an angle that id nothing to keep the rain off.

The others filed past, then, each dropping a rose onto the casket; the Avengers, the Master of the Mystic Arts, and all the regular people who had thought May Parker was an amazing person and wanted a chance to say goodbye to her. And finally her nephew, who had loved her most of all.

The funeral goers drifted away, talking in those hushed tones that were always used in such solemn occasions and working their way towards their cars, ready to escape the rain. Happy pulled the limousine as close as he could, and stood patiently at the door, an umbrella in hand, ushering Ned and then his mother, into the car.

Strange had an umbrella and was holding it in one hand, the other arm around Natasha. Steve walked up to Tony, watching Peter, who was getting soaked and not bothering to move the umbrella he was holding to avoid it.

"We'll go get things ready at the tower."

Stark nodded, but didn't turn his gaze from the boy. He obviously wanted to be alone, but Tony wanted to be there, beside him, holding him and letting him lean on him.

"Thanks."

Peter's tears were blinding him by then, but the rain that was soaking his hair trailed down his cheeks and mingled with them, washing them away as quickly as they fell. Tony and Pepper watched him, holding hands and taking comfort from each other as the boy stared down into the grave for a long time, and then glanced over at the two headstones that were beside him and walked over to them.

He stood between them, a hand on either stone, and Pepper sobbed when Peter crouched down between them, sheltering between the final representation of the two people he'd lost first, and had missed the longest.

Tony squeezed her hand, kissed her cheek and then left her side, leaving the umbrella for her as he walked over to stand behind Peter, who was now leaning against his father's headstone, although he still had a hand on his mother's. The boy was silently crying, his cheek pressed against the cold marble and his eyes closed.

Stark knelt down next to him and simply pulled him into his arms, unwilling to allow him to face the grief alone any longer. Peter sobbed, and let go of his parents' headstones to hold onto Tony, collapsing against him as his courage and strength abandoned him.

"I've got you, Peter," Tony told him, rocking him gently and ignoring the fact that they were both on the wet ground, now, and probably ruining their clothes. Other things were far more important. "It's okay."

The pounding rain was suddenly stopped, and Stark looked up in time to see Pepper kneel down beside them as well, holding the umbrella over her little family and putting her other arm around Peter. He gathered Pepper into his embrace with Peter, and held them both, tightly, for a long moment before he kissed her cheek, and then his.

"Come on," he said, pulling them both to their feet and making sure the umbrella was protecting Pepper. "We'd better get out of the rain. Before we _all_ catch colds."


	25. Chapter 25

The ride to the tower was fairly quiet and didn't take very long, even with the traffic. Peter and Tony were soaked, but with Ned's mother in the limo with them, the most that Strange could do was 'find' a couple of towels behind his seat for them to dry off the excess rainwater with. Pepper fussed over both of them until the others couldn't help but smile at the mothering.

When they pulled into the parking garage and stopped, Tony looked at Peter.

"Go get into something dry, okay?" he said. "Come join us when you feel up to it."

"Okay."

"Can I come?" Ned asked Peter.

He hadn't seen his friend's rooms, yet, and had only been to the tower once.

"Yeah."

"Take a hot shower, Peter," Strange suggested, offering Ned's mother a hand out of the car and then doing the same for Natasha. "That will take off the chill quicker than anything else."

"Okay."

Both boys headed for the private elevator that bypassed any elevator calls and so made it as much of an express as possible. When they were gone, Strange looked at Stark.

"Same prescription for you, Tony. Go get warmed up and change into something dry before you catch a cold, too."

Stark nodded.

"I think I will." He looked at Pepper. "You'll take care of things?"

"When have I ever _not_?"

"Good point."

Stark headed for the same elevator the boys had used, and the doctor looked at the three women, giving them his best smile.

"So, I get the pretty girls to myself for a while. Sounds right."

He offered Ned's mom one arm and Pepper the other.

"What am I?" Happy asked Natasha. "Chopped liver?"

"We're just the hired help," she reminded him with a smile of her own as she took his arm and followed the others to the elevator.

If the reception hadn't been on the very top floor, she would have suggested that they run the stairs to beat the others, but she was in heels, it was a _lot_ of stairs, and she knew he would have rejected that idea on the spot.

OOOOOOOOO

"Holy _shit_ , Peter. This is all yours?"

Peter nodded, looking around his living room area, pulling his suit jacket off and draping it over the back of the sofa.

"Yeah."

He supposed that it was, officially, his, now. Even though he hadn't actually _stayed_ there yet.

"Pinball? Sweet. Can I play it?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Do I need quarters?"

"Open the door and push the metal thing, it'll give you credits."

He left Ned to his entertainment, and went into his bedroom to find some dry clothes to change into. All he had were jeans and t-shirts and a couple of sweatshirts. The new clothes were all at the compound, and he supposed all his dress clothes at the apartment were either still there in his room, or had been boxed up by then.

Shivering, he grabbed clean clothes and went into the bathroom for a shower. He was plenty wet already, but he was sure that Doctor Strange was right, and a hot shower would make him feel warmer.

When he came out about half an hour later, Ned was sitting at the desk, in front of his new computer and clicking buttons left and right. He looked up when he noticed Peter.

"I set your pinball high score and got bored."

"It's okay."

"This system is _amazing_ , dude," Ned told him. "I set your password for you – it's Nedi$the$h1t – tapped into the security system so you can integrate it with the heads up screens and the TVs in here, and in-"

"What heads up screens?" Peter asked, interrupting, already knowing what Ned's favorite password was.

"Seriously?"

Ned hit a button on the keyboard and three different clear display screens came down from brackets in the ceiling that Peter hadn't even noticed. They were similar to the ones that Mr. Stark used in his workrooms and lit up, all of them showing a picture of Peter and Ned holding curly black puppies as screen holders.

"Wow."

"You didn't know they were there?"

"No."

Of course, _Ned_ would have discovered them immediately, and had already proven he was a match for the computer system that dominated the room, obviously. He'd already personalized it for Peter, after all.

"This is state of the art, high end stuff," Ned told him, clearly impressed.

"Are you surprised?" Peter asked him.

"No. I suppose not. When you're feeling better we'll see if we can hack the school's system with it. I bet we _could_."

"Why _would_ we?"

It wasn't like they needed to change their grades or anything. Ned was probably the brightest kid in the school, and Peter got all As.

Ned shrugged.

"To see if we _could_. Why not?"

That made Peter shake his head as he pulled on a hooded sweatshirt. He was still a little chilly, even after the hot shower, but he felt better, and didn't feel like he was going to start bawling any minute.

"Come on. Mr. Stark is going to be looking for us."

OOOOOOOOO

It wasn't the same as when they'd celebrated May's birthday there. Many of the same people were in attendance, though, and most of them were admiring the location and the view like they had at May's birthday. The big differences being that it was daylight, and much more somber.

When Peter and Ned appeared at the elevator, Natasha had joined them immediately, with Stephen beside her. Strange had pressed his hand against Peter's forehead and asked him a few medical questions to get an idea of how he was feeling, and seemed to be satisfied that Peter was alright for the moment. He did tell him to take it easy, though, and not stress himself if he could avoid it. Natasha told him the same thing, hugged him tightly and kissed him, reminding him that she was there if he needed her.

"Are you hungry at all?" Strange asked Peter.

"Not too much."

Strange looked at Natasha, and smirked before turning back to Peter.

"I will give you a hundred dollars if you go and get one of the cinnamon rolls from the table over there and walk up to Tony eating it."

Despite himself, Peter felt a smile on his face. Obviously Dr. Strange wanted to mess with Mr. Stark, and definitely knew what buttons to press. Peter put his hands into his sweatshirt pocket and looked over at Natasha as well, before turning back to the doctor.

"What will you give me if I _don't_ mention the _Magical Avengers_ to him when I do?"

Strange laughed and pulled Peter into a hug, pleased that he was at least _trying_ to be cheerful, even though it was a little forced and the hurt was still lurking in his expression.

"Anything you _want_. I promise you."

"Do it, Peter," Ned told him when Strange released him.

Ned wouldn't dare to punk _Tony Stark_ , but he definitely wanted to see it done.

The boy shrugged and nodded. Strange and Natasha wandered over toward the bar, where Tony had just joined Pepper, and stood around nonchalantly, talking to various people as they walked up – including Ned's mother who had also wandered over just then.

Peter and Ned went over to the table that was loaded with food, including a pan of Ned's mom's cinnamon rolls, and waited until Strange was where he would be able to see Tony's reaction. Then he and Ned both took a cinnamon roll in each hand and walked over toward the bar, munching on the rolls while they walked.

It was hardly a _chore_. Peter liked Ned's mom's rolls, and always had.

Stark happened to glance over, and the double take he did _was_ pretty classic, Peter had to admit. He frowned.

"What are you eating?" He asked the boy.

"Cinnamon roll," Peter mumbled, his mouth full.

He held it up to show him, in case he hadn't understood him.

"Want one?" Ned asked, unable to help himself. "They're good."

Tony looked over at Pepper, who shrugged, and then back at Peter, who shoved the rest of the roll into his mouth before Mr. Stark could try and take it from him. Natasha and Strange both smiled and that made Tony realize that the whole thing was staged just to get a rise out of him.

He rolled his eyes, but had to admit that he didn't mind their prank. Not when it included Peter, and made _him_ smile on what was otherwise a very rough day.

"Were _you_ in on this?" He asked Pepper.

"Nope."

"Don't worry, Mr. Stark," Ned's mom said, reassuringly, patting his arm. "I know you don't like him eating cinnamon. I made that batch with _nutmeg_ , instead."

OOOOOO

"That was the best $200 I've ever spent," Strange told Natasha several minutes later, watching as Peter pocketed a hundred dollar bill, and Ned's mom handed her son the one that she'd just collected from the doctor.

"That was _mean_ , Stephen," Natasha chided, still smiling at Tony's reaction.

"I know. But _amusing_."

Of course, Stark would want to get even with him eventually, and probably _would_ , but it was worth it.

"True."

She watched Peter walk over and sit down on one of the sofas, and Ned wandered off to talk to Clint and Steve – probably to tell them about the prank that Strange had just pulled on Tony. Strange followed her gaze, and watched as a few people went over to talk to the boy, almost certainly extending sympathies since the boy lost his amused expression and nodded some kind of reply to what they were saying.

Natasha decided that he was much too young to have to face all of that alone, told Strange that she'd be back in a bit and walked over to the sofa, just as the people who had been speaking with him left.

Peter looked relieved to see her, and she kissed him lightly when she sat down, hooking his arm through her own.

"What are you going to do with your hundred dollars?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Strippers and beer?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"I think you could probably find a better use for it than that."

"Probably." He rested his head on her shoulder with a sigh. It was hard being upbeat when his insides were churning, still. And not because he'd wolfed down the cinnamon rolls. "Maybe I'll take everyone to dinner sometime."

"Have you seen Steve _eat_? You're going to need more than a hundred dollars."

"That puts me back to strippers and beer, then."

She shook her head.

" _Men_."


	26. Chapter 26

They took turns being with him. Not that they consciously decided that someone would be at his side the entire reception, but it worked out that way. Peter sat on the sofa and the well-wishers would stop to talk to him. They'd tell him how much they liked May – or had _loved_ her – and they'd tell him to be strong. Some would cry, many would hug him tightly, crying on his shoulder. They wanted him to understand that they would miss May, but each time someone said it, it made him feel the wounds of her passing that much sharper, and made the ache that much worse.

He didn't _tell_ them, of course. It would have been heartless to add to their pain by telling them that they were causing him anguish as well and Peter would never do that to someone. He would nod, or force a smile, or hold them and try to comfort them. Giving so much of himself that it seemed there wasn't any left to hold his own emotions together.

Luckily, those who knew him best were watching him for any indication that he was close to breaking, and it was Stark who was sitting beside him when that point was almost breached.

"Let's get you away from here for a bit…" he murmured to Peter, watching as one of May's coworkers walked away.

Peter nodded, silently, and let Stark pull him to his feet. Tony waved to get Pepper's attention as they crossed the room. Not that he needed her help, but because he didn't want her to see that Peter was gone and wonder where he went. She nodded her understanding, and went back to the conversation she was having, leaving Tony free to deal with Peter.

They went to Stark's quarters, which were closer than Peter's just then, and Tony set him down on a sofa. He didn't ask Peter if he was okay, he could tell that he wasn't.

"I'm sorry…" he murmured. "I'll go back in a minute. I just need a chance to catch my breath."

Stark shook his head, wondering when the boy decided it was his responsibility to comfort all the people in the reception. Maybe someone he'd spoken to had said something in passing that had been taken that way.

"You don't _have_ to go back at all," Tony assured him, an arm going around him to reassure. "We can sit here as long as you want to."

Peter closed his eyes and leaned against Stark's side, and took several deep breaths.

"My head hurts."

"I'll go get you something. Stay here, okay?"

"Yeah."

Tony got up and Peter leaned against the arm of the sofa, his eyes still closed. He managed to take the pills that Tony brought him, along with a glass of water to wash them down.

"Thanks."

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Stark suggested.

"I have people to talk to," he reminded him.

"They can wait," Tony said. "Even better, _I'll_ talk to them for you."

"You don't mind?"

"No. You get some sleep. You'll feel better."

Peter nodded and put his head back down on the arm of the sofa, but Tony picked him up and carried him into the bedroom before he even had a chance to get cozy. There was no reason for him to sleep any way but comfortably – especially with a bed so close at hand, and he knew Pepper wouldn't mind.

"If you need anything, call me, okay?" he told Peter, covering the boy up.

"Okay."

He watched, just to make sure he didn't need anything just then, but Peter was wiped out, and ready for a nap. Tony brushed a hand along his forehead, which was warm but not dangerously hot, and was already far more asleep than awake.

"Friday, let me know if he gets out of bed."

" _You got it."_

OOOOOOOOO

"Is he all right?"

Pepper had been watching for their return, and noticed immediately when Tony came back alone.

"Overwhelmed and tired. I put him in our bed."

"It was a rough morning. He'll probably feel better with some peace and quiet."

"I thought so, too."

They looked around the room. The reception was dying down. Happy had left to take Ned and his mother home, and Steve and Bruce were gone, as well. Natasha and Clint were at the bar talking in quiet tones with Stephen, and there were very few people lingering. Outside, the sun had finally forced its way through the rainclouds and the city was glistening all around them.

They walked over to the bar.

"Where's Peter?" Strange asked, curiously.

"In bed. Friday's keeping an eye on him. So to speak."

"Free babysitter. Nice."

Stark rolled his eyes and handed Pepper a drink.

"In case he needs anything. He's old enough to not really _need_ a babysitter."

"And if you two go out of town on a business trip or something…?"

"He could come with us."

"And your trip is during the school week?"

"Then he goes to _Uncle Stephen's_."

Now it was Strange who rolled his eyes.

"The first one of you who calls me that ends up in the lake naked."

OOOOOOOOO

"Peter?"

"Hmmm?"

"Wake up for a minute, will you?"

He rolled over, toward the voice, and opened his eyes. Pepper was sitting on the edge of the bed, with Strange standing behind her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly afraid something had happened and they were waking him up with bad news.

"Nothing," Pepper assured him. "We want you to eat some dinner before you go back to sleep."

He sat up, and groaned at just how lousy he felt. His head ached, his throat was sore and he felt cold, despite the fact that he'd fallen asleep wearing his sweatshirt.

"Feeling rough, huh?" Strange asked, not missing the reaction.

'Yeah." He pulled a blanket around his shoulders, and realized that he was in his room at the compound. "Did I sleepwalk?"

Pepper smiled, watching while Strange checked his forehead for fever.

"Not this far," she told him. "That would probably be a record."

"I brought you here about an hour ago," Stephen told him. "How do you feel?"

"Awful."

"Yeah, you _look_ awful, too, if it's any consolation."

"It isn't."

""Eat something and you can go back to sleep."

"Where is Mr. Stark?"

"He's in the lounge."

"Natasha?"

"She's there, too."

"They're okay?"

"They're fine," Pepper assured him. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know. Just worried, I guess."

"Everything's fine, Peter," Strange told him. "They were both here earlier to make sure you were comfortable, but we didn't want to wake you up, then. Feeling up to something to eat?"

"Yeah."

He sneezed, surprising himself and them.

Strange produced a box of tissues and handed it to him.

"Soup?"

"Pancakes?"

" _Seriously?"_

"I'll give you your hundred dollars back…"

Strange smiled and shook his head.

"Keep it."

A tray with pancakes, syrup, butter and sausages appeared on the edge of the bed. Along with a large glass of orange juice, and a bottle of Tylenol.

"Eat and then go back to sleep, if you can," Stephen told him.

"Okay. Thanks."

They left him to eat his dinner, and Pepper frowned up at Strange when they closed the door to his quarters and headed for the lounge.

"You don't think he's getting any spider sense feelings about Tony and Natasha, do you?"

He shook his head.

"No. I imagine if they'd been the ones to wake him, he would have asked about our well-being. He's had his share of bad news, lately, and looked like he was afraid that we were going to deliver more to him."

"Poor guy."

"It's understandable. And around here it's a valid concern, I suppose, with all that they do."

'We can't shelter him from it."

"No. Especially since he's determined to be a part of it when he's older. We'll get him over his cold, and through the initial grief from losing May and then see what needs to be done to address the issue."

"Tony is going to find a child psychologist."

"That's a good idea."

"For _you_."

Strange smiled.

"Cute."

He'd _need_ a psychologist if he spent any more time at the compound. A home filled with magical artifacts was somehow far more restful at times. But he had to admit, he liked coming here.

Pepper smirked, and put her arm through his.

She thought so.


	27. Chapter 27

Weird dreams – _almost_ scary enough to be nightmares – kept him from sleeping soundly once he was done with his dinner. Added to it the discomfort of the cold and all its annoying symptoms, it wasn't hard to understand why he was woken from that fitful sleep so easily when he felt someone sliding into his bed, joining him under the mountain of blankets that were still not enough to keep him from feeling cold.

He didn't need to open his eyes to know who it was, and he didn't.

"You shouldn't be here, Natasha," he murmured to her, sleepily, even though he automatically rolled himself so he was facing her, his misery seeking solace in her embrace.

"Why not, sweetheart?" she asked, surprised, but keeping it from her voice and her expression. Just in case he opened his eyes. "You don't want my company?"

"More than anything," Peter assured her with a whisper to keep from irritating his sore throat. "But you'll catch my cold."

"Oh." She shook her head, and her embrace pulled him even closer against her warm body. "If I'm going to catch it, staying away from you _now_ won't help. It's too late for that to do any good."

"I don't want you to have it," he told her, tucking his head against her breast, listening for her heartbeat. "It's bad…"

"You still don't feel well?"

"Yeah." He rested his hand lightly on her stomach, feeling overwhelmed between the illness and then the sorrow that hurt like a sore tooth that wouldn't go away – even when he slept. "Today was terrible."

"I know. Go back to sleep. It'll help get you better."

" _You_ help me…" he told her, already falling asleep, knowing that the crazy dreams couldn't do anything with her arms around him, protectively.

She didn't reply with words, more than willing to let him fall asleep again rather than hold a conversation. Instead she shifted him just enough that she was more pillow than the pillow was, and stroked his hair, soothing him. Once he was asleep, she started to drift off as well.

Romanoff had had a long day, too, and even though Peter didn't know it, she felt better when she had him close by to give her someone to hold on to. Someone who wanted nothing more from her than her company and her love, and was free with his love, too, giving it utterly without reservation or condition. She'd never realized she even needed something like that – it was part of her early training to isolate those needs and push them into a corner of her that was more cold and unfeeling – but now she knew, and was grateful he was so willing to be cuddled.

She fell asleep, too.

OOOOOOOOO

"Natasha has him?"

Tony nodded, snuggling next to Pepper, feeling just a little chilled and glad that he had her to huddle up to – especially at times like these.

"She's pretty sure he'll sleep through the night. I have Friday watching for him to leave the building or go anywhere near the pool, but he tends to stay put when she's with him."

"I _bet_ ," Pepper said, smiling in the dark of the room. "I imagine every boy in his school would love to be where he is, right now. Cold or not."

"I'm sure of it. And one infatuated brain surgeon," Stark added with a smile, tucking her head under his chin.

"It _is_ quite the love triangle, isn't it?"

"More like a _square_ ," Tony told her, closing his eyes. He was pretty tired and definitely ready for some sleep. It had been a long, hard and emotional day. "The cloak loves Peter, too, and is not willing to be ignored."

"True." If anything, Stephen's cloak had less respect for boundaries than anyone – or anything – that Pepper had ever seen. And she had _Tony Stark_ , so she had quite the example to compare it to. "Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?"

Bedtime was when they usually compared notes for the day that had gone, and plans for the one coming up. The events of the last two weeks had thrown all that into chaos, but it was habit to ask.

"It depends on how Peter's doing. The Romania trip is an important one, and we've put it off for the funeral, but Romanoff is the only one that can deal with these guys, and I want to be there to back her up if things go the wrong way."

"It's that dangerous?"

"No. Not with Steve, Clint and Ironman standing behind her with a shit-ton of weaponry staring them down."

"As worn out as he looked today, he'll probably sleep all day. He might not even know you guys are gone, really, until you get back."

"He'll _know_ ," Tony told her. It was something he'd have to tell the boy, just so he knew where he was and why he wasn't there if Peter needed something while he was gone. "I'll have Stephen stay nearby if he's not busy, and he's willing. Between you and the good doctor, he should be fine."

"It's just the day?"

"If we can. We'll leave in the morning and be back late tomorrow night."

The benefit of having a jet, after all.

OOOOOOOO

"You look tired."

Strange nodded, giving Wong a smile of thanks when the man handed him a cup of coffee. True, he could make one appear in his hand if he wanted, but Wong had a special blend that he used and it was better than anything Stephen could make. With or without magic.

"I am. It was a long day."

"Did you eat?"

"I had _pancakes_. With Peter," he added, making sure the other man knew that it wasn't his idea.

They both watched as the Cloak of Levitation drifted away, clearly not interested in a cup of coffee and the conversation before bedtime.

"How is he doing?"

"As colds go it's a nasty one – he was susceptible to it happening, so I'm not surprised – but he's young and healthier than any fifteen year old I've ever seen. He'll shake it off without a problem. The heartache will take a little longer, I imagine."

"He needs a _distraction_ ," Wong said, sagely. "Did you tell them about my project?"

"Yes. Peter's on board."

"Not Stark?"

"He seemed fine with the idea, but wanted me to remind you that one magical item following Peter everywhere he goes in the Avenger's facility is more than enough for him, and he doesn't want anything else to fall in love with the boy."

Which made Wong smile. Something that didn't happen all that often, but it was hard not to when one thought of all the relics in the sanctum getting out of their displays and following the boy around.

"I'll keep that in mind," he promised. "Of course, the heart wants what the heart wants, remember…"

"Right." Strange finished his coffee. "We'll set it up once he's feeling better. I don't want him facing down something too complicated until he's better able to focus on what he's doing."

"That's fine. I'll start cataloguing tomorrow or the next day, to give you an idea of which items I think are candidates."

"Sounds good. I'm going to bed."

"Are you going to the compound tomorrow?"

"For a while, at least. Unless you need me here."

"No. But I might whip up something for you to take with you to help with his cold."

"A cure?"

"Sleep and time are the only cures – everyone knows that. This would just work on easing the symptoms. I'll see what I can find."

"All right. Good night."

"Night."


	28. Chapter 28

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah..."

Peter was sitting up in his bed, his breakfast on a tray in his lap completely unnoticed, looking at Tony with an expression that even Romanoff couldn't read. Some kind of blend of fear, shock, and confusion and something else that made her wish that they could have found a gentler way to break the news.

"To Romania?"

"Yeah." Tony brushed his hand against the boy's forehead. "We wouldn't go if we didn't _have_ to, you know that, right? But the situation is _bad_ , and we need to fix it. Now. _Avenger_ stuff, you know?"

"Yeah… no, I know…"

"We'll be back as soon as we can."

Peter nodded, dumbly. There wasn't really anything else that he could do. He knew that they were always busy doing whatever it took, busy saving the _world_ , and that meant that they had to go places to do it. Not just quick jumps to the city, but all over the _world_. Places that weren't right beside him.

"Okay."

Stark was watching him, carefully, well aware that the timing couldn't be worse, but unable to do anything about it. There wasn't another Ironman for him to send in as back-up for Romanoff, and while Steve Rogers and Clint were normally all that might be needed, in this situation a little more of a show of force was required. And that meant he had to go.

"Pepper is going to be in the compound all day," he said. "If you need _anything_ , she'll be right here."

"Okay."

The boy bit his lower lip, and Tony pulled him into a hug, surprised by just how hard it was to leave him. A far cry from the self-centered ass that he'd been so many years, he knew, he was now pretty much living for the love of others – _Pepper_ , first, and for the longest time, _only_ Pepper. But now Peter, also. It was amazing, of course, but this kind of thing also made it painful. It was a lot easier to just care about himself. Not as satisfying, though.

"Keep an eye on her for me, will you?" he whispered into the boy's ear, still holding him close. "She can get into all kinds of trouble if she's left unattended."

"Yeah."

He brushed a kiss against Peter's cheek when he let him go, and then he stood up, giving Natasha a chance to hug the boy as well. Which she did.

"Stephen is going to be here in a little while, too," she said. "He'll keep you company."

She kissed his cheek, too, and stood up.

"If you find a way to drop the phrase _'Uncle Stephen'_ into a conversation with him, I'll double that hundred dollars he gave you," Tony added.

Peter just nodded, watching them both silently, unable to say anything just then.

They were leaving him.

"Eat," Stark told him. "And get some sleep. We'll be back before you know it."

They both hesitated, but then they left his room, and Peter watched the door for a long time, even after he heard them let themselves out of his quarters.

OOOOOO

"Well that was _terrible_ ," Stark said as they walked toward the exit – and the jet.

"I'm glad it wasn't just me that thought so," Natasha agreed.

"I feel like I just kicked a puppy."

She nodded.

"I know."

"We can't hold off on this?"

"You don't _have_ to come, Tony," she told him – again. "Stay with him and I'll take Steve and-"

"No." They'd already had this discussion. "We need the show of force and that's _me_. It'd be worse if I stayed to protect him from being left, and then something happened that could have been prevented by me being there. The last thing we need is something happening to you."

Which was his acknowledgement of the role Romanoff had in the boy's life. He and Pepper had the guardianship of Peter, but he needed _Natasha_ , too. Preferably safe and sound. That meant Stark going.

She nodded, realizing the truth of that, and they went outside and headed for the jet.

"But we're not saving fuel," Tony told her. "There and back as fast as we can."

"Yeah."

OOOOOOOOO

Peter knew the minute the jet took off. He could feel the change of air pressure, even through the walls of the building. His breakfast tray set aside, he got out of his bed and went to the window but didn't have the angle to see it leaving.

To see _them_ leaving.

" _You're_ supposed to be in bed, young man."

He turned and saw Pepper in his bedroom doorway, looking far more ready to start her day than he was. He nodded, but didn't move away from the window, and she crossed the small space between door and window, and put her arms around him.

He looked lost and afraid, and she was certain she understood why.

 _She_ was always a little afraid when Tony went on a mission – even though she knew he was in the best of hands with the most advanced tech available. One of the reasons she never got annoyed by the way he was always coming up with new improvements to an Ironman suit that was already nearly as unassailable it could be.

"They left, Pepper," he whispered, putting his head on her shoulder.

"I _know_." She hugged him close, feeling his arms come around her and hold her, too. "Why don't you come spend the day in my office instead of in here? I could use the company."

Obviously he needed it, too.

"Okay."

They gathered up the medicine that Strange had produced to help him sleep if the misery kept him awake, and ignored the blankets and bedding since there were plenty to be had in her quarters, too. She walked him to her quarters and had him settle himself on the sofa, right beside her desk. She bundled him in blankets and a couple of pillows from her bed, and got him a bottle of orange juice from the bar in the other room.

"He didn't _want_ to go, you know?" Pepper told Peter, watching him as she sat on the sofa, tucking the blankets around him. "Neither of them did."

"He said it was bad…"

"It is," she agreed. "One of the reasons he had to go, too. Besides, you know how much he likes to test out new designs to his suit."

"Yeah."

She sat with him, trying to help him lose that numb expression with small talk and reassurances. He drank his juice with very little urging from her and then she dosed him with the medication to help him sleep. When it finally took control and he closed his eyes, drifting off with his head propped against the pillows and the arm of the sofa, Pepper kissed him softly, arranged the blankets warmly over him and walked over to her desk.

She could work, yes, but more importantly, she would be right there for him the moment he woke again.

OOOOOOOOO

It was less than an hour later when the door to her quarters opened and the Cloak of Levitation came swooping in, startling her when it zipped by her desk, unerringly finding Peter's sleeping form and draping itself over him, a corner of fabric brushing the boy's hair and cheek so softly that Peter never even stirred.

Unlike the cloak, _Stephen_ tapped lightly on the door to the office area before he walked in.

"Good morning."

She smiled. He was handsomely dressed and clearly ready for his day, as well.

"Good morning."

"They left?"

She nodded, watching as he walked over to the sofa, brushed a hand as carefully against Peter's forehead as the cloak had, checking his temperature.

"About an hour ago."

"Any idea when they'll be back?"

"Late tonight, hopefully."

She had a feeling that he was a little worried about the whole situation as well – even though he was much better at hiding his concerns than Peter was.

"It must be serious or they wouldn't have left him at such a problematic time…"

The only way he could ask what was going on.

"Romania," Pepper said, as if that should tell him everything. She knew it didn't, though. "There's a problem with a group of contacts and mercenaries. Natasha knows the leader of the mercenaries, and he will only deal with her – and Tony had to go along to bolster the leader's authority with the negations."

"Natasha couldn't do that?"

"She's a _woman_. Some of the men there will ignore her out of tradition, others because they don't know that she's the mastermind behind the whole situation."

"Ah." He looked at Peter's sleeping form. "His fever's up. Any coughing?"

"All night, from what Natasha told us. He's pretty miserable, right now. And this Romania thing isn't helping, of course."

He noticed that she hadn't left him alone in his bedroom, though, and approved of having the boy close at hand in case he needed something.

"Do you mind if I hover with you?"

Pepper smiled, and shook her head. She could use the company.

"Not at all. What do you know about multi-kiosk task devolution?"

"Not a thing," he admitted. "I know a couple of pretty good card tricks, though."

"Good enough."


	29. Chapter 29

It was Peter's cold that woke him. A coughing fit that shook his entire frame and tore at his already raw throat also dragged him from a restless sleep that had been filled with all kinds of images that were already fading from his memory. Images of a flight in the jet, and a landing in a field outside of a warehouse. He didn't recognize the area, but it looked like farmland.

Strong hands pulled him upright, and he opened his eyes to find Stephen Strange settling himself next to him, supporting him until the irritation that caused the coughing eased and he was able to take a couple of deep breaths. Behind Strange, Pepper was also watching him, and Peter was aware that the cloak was wrapped around him, its magical fabric warming him enough that he finally didn't feel chilled.

"Hey…"

Strange placed his palm against Peter's forehead.

"Hello. Still _miserable_ , I see."

"Yeah."

"Drink this."

He handed the boy a large mug that was filled with a greenish liquid that was steaming, but not especially hot. Peter looked at it dubiously. Even with his sense of smell dampened by the stuffiest nose he could ever remember having, the stuff smelled awful.

"What is it?"

"No clue. Wong made it and sent it with me. It'll help."

It tasted as awful as it smelled. Peter gagged on the first swallow, but downed the entire mug as quickly as he could. Then he handed the mug back to Strange, who got up and allowed him to lay down again.

"Go back to sleep, Peter," he suggested.

"Are they back, yet?"

"Not yet."

"Are they okay?"

"They're fine."

He had to assume that if something had gone wrong, Pepper would have heard, and he'd been with her in the room for the last six hours almost constantly.

Peter closed his eyes, accepting that for the truth and the cloak draped itself back around him now that he was prone, covering his shoulders and neck. Strange pulled the blankets up to cover anything the cloak wasn't. Whether it was his illness, or the concoction that Wong had made for him, Peter was asleep again in moments.

"Shouldn't we feed him something?" Pepper asked, watching. "He didn't eat any of his breakfast."

"It won't kill him to miss a meal or two," Stephen assured her. "I'd rather he slept, really."

She didn't look a hundred percent convinced, but she trusted him, and nodded. She sat back down at her desk, finished with work for the moment, and ready to relax now that Peter was asleep again.

"Chess?"

"Sure."

OOOOOOOOO

Stark was glad that he'd accompanied the group.

The mercenaries were all grumbling, not willing to trust the contact that had been placed in position as their go between for them and the government official. Natasha and the mercenary leader were working to smooth things out – and he really _was_ trying to cooperate with her, but the others didn't trust the contact. Or maybe they didn't trust the _small army_ that the contact had brought with him.

They were all in a large warehouse, outside of Arad. Tony and Steve were standing behind Natasha, providing her with backup, both physical if needed and perceptual – to remind the mercenaries and contact alike that she was the one talking to them, but she wasn't going to be the only dog in the fight if things went south. Clint was in the jet, which was in the air, hovering above the warehouse, mirrored to hide itself. The jet would be firepower if needed, or an escape if it came down to that.

"What's he saying, Nat?" Steve asked, not taking his eyes of the contact.

"He thinks Dilok is lying, and wants proof of the contract."

"Thinks he is lying?" Steve clarified. "Or _says_ he is lying?"

Calling a man a liar in front of his people was a bad idea – and certainly a good way to start a fight that none of them really wanted.

Suddenly, something very wrong was said by the contact to the mercenary leader.

Before Friday had a chance to translate for Tony, the small army of the contact's all pulled weapons. Which of course caused the mercenaries to do the same. Stark activated the Ironman suit instantly, adding a much bigger match to the powder keg, and the room got really quiet.

OOOOOOOO

 _The man in front of Natasha had a gun. It wasn't pointed at her, but it was much too close to her for comfort. As he watched, everyone in the room suddenly had guns, too. Except for Steve. He had his shield up, his body language and his mind telling the boy that his first move would be to shield Natasha, who understood this and would take the right step backward to allow the two of them to work as a team to take down the contact, first. They worked together so often, and so well, that there wasn't even conscious thought about it._

" _No!"_

 _Peter panicked, even watching from as far away as he was. He had been able to follow the conversation – even in Romanian – and had seen the building antipathy between the mercenaries and the contact and his army._

 _The gem, which was linked to him to allow him to check on those he had been so worried about, and was also using Romanoff's language skills to automatically translate the conversation for Peter, reacted immediately to that fear. It pulled the knowledge of what could be done from another source that wasn't even close to Romania – or to the conflict – and used the boy's innate ability to immediately quell the danger to those that Peter was worried about._

OOOOOOOO

"What the _hell_?"

They were the only three still standing in the entire room. And none of them had fired a shot, or moved. A yellow shield had appeared for an instant, a flash of brilliant red, and suddenly everyone else had dropped without a sound, weapons all rattling as they hit the ground.

"Friday?"

" _No clue."_

Natasha stepped forward, crouching down beside the leader of the mercenaries to put her hand against his neck, looking for a pulse. She didn't see any blood.

"He's alive."

"This guy is, too," Steve said, checking the contact's pulse.

"Anyone have any idea what just happened?" Stark asked.

"Not a clue."

"Let's get their weapons away from them and see if we can wake them up," Romanoff said, reaching for the leader of the mercenaries' gun. "Then we can finish the conversation with a little less drama."

"Sounds like a plan," Tony agreed. He wanted to get home as soon as possible.

OOOOOOOOO

Peter jerked awake with a start, the weird dream already fading, and his head pounding in time to his heartbeat. He looked around, squinting against the pain in his head and the lights that suddenly seemed so bright.

Strange and Pepper both looked over at him from where they were sitting at her desk, playing chess.

"You okay?" Pepper asked, worried.

"Yeah."

"Headache?" Strange asked, noticing the way he was wincing.

"Yeah."

He got up and walked over to Peter, and another mug was suddenly in his hand.

"Drink this."

Peter made a face.

"That's Wong's stuff?"

"Yes. Drink it."

Pepper smiled at the look the boy gave the doctor, and then the mug when it was handed to him. But he drank it down, despite the awful taste.

"Ugh."

Strange smiled, too.

"Ready for dinner?"

Peter shook his head and lowered it back to the pillow. The cloak crooned gently into his head, covering him right up to his chin.

"Sleepy…"

"Let's get something in you, first," the doctor told him. "Then you can sleep as much as you want."

The more the better, as far as he was concerned.


	30. Chapter 30

"Peter?"

He didn't really feel like waking up, but the voice was one he'd been subconsciously waiting for so he opened his eyes, looking up sleepily. Tony Stark was crouched down beside the sofa where he'd slept most of the day.

"Mr. Stark…"

He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and the cloak reached out and tapped Stark on the head – probably in greeting, but who knew?

"Yeah. We're home."

"Everyone's okay?"

"We're fine. How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

A hand on the boy's forehead and a look into his eyes told Tony that that probably wasn't accurate, but he didn't argue the topic just then.

"Let's get you to bed, okay? It'll be more comfortable than the couch."

Besides, it wouldn't hurt him to walk a little bit.

"Okay."

Stark gave him a hand up and put his arm around the boy's shoulder, glad to be home. He'd already greeted Pepper, and had been given a full report on Peter's activities for the day. Which had apparently been a lot of sleeping and a fair amount of coughing.

"Anything exciting happen while we were gone?"

"Not as far as I know," Peter admitted. "I think I slept all day."

"You were _supposed_ to."

They walked to Peter's quarters and the boy sat down on his bed. Tony handed him a mug that was sitting on the nightstand.

"Stephen told me to tell you to drink this."

Peter made a face.

"It's gross."

"Doctor's orders."

The boy rolled his eyes – a quirk that he had learned from Stark, or maybe from Strange – and took the mug from Tony and drank it down. The third time around was no better than the first two times and he made a face that made Tony glad he wasn't the sick one.

"Get some sleep, okay?" he said, softly, pulling the blankets back for Peter. "If you're feeling better in the morning, we'll show you what we brought you."

The boy nodded, and closed his eyes, but unerringly reached out and caught Stark's arm before he moved to leave.

"I'm glad you're home," he whispered. "I was worried."

Stark leaned over and pressed his cheek against Peter's.

"I'm supposed to worry about _you_ ," he reminded him. "Not the other way around."

He turned the light off and left, the Cloak of Levitation hitching a ride on his shoulder since Strange had warned it that he wasn't planning on spending the night at the compound.

OOOOOOOOO

"So, how did it go?" Stephen asked the others, while waiting for Stark to return after checking on Peter.

They were all in the lounge, sitting around a table and relaxing after returning home only a few minutes before. Tony had greeted Pepper and Strange in Pepper's office, where they were playing cribbage, surprising them since he hadn't let either know they were close to getting home. Then he'd shooed them both away, figuring that standing watch over a sleeping teenager was probably something they needed a break from doing.

Knowing full well that Stephen would be interested, he mentioned that Romanoff had said something about a drink before going to bed and pointed him toward the lounge after getting the official medical report on Peter's day.

Which hadn't taken long. Sleep. Cough. Sleep. Cough. Sleep. Cough. Eat dinner. Cough. Cough. Sleep.

Strange had advised Stark to have Peter drink the concoction on Peter's nightstand before letting him go back to sleep, and had said he'd see him in the lounge.

Steve shook his head.

"It got a little tense for a minute there," he admitted.

"So you _did_ need Tony?" Pepper asked.

"I'm not so sure that they did," Stark replied, walking over just in time to hear the question. The Cloak of Levitation left Tony's shoulder and drifted over to Strange, casually brushing Natasha's cheek in greeting as it passed by her. "Which makes me ask what _you_ were doing around 4 o'clock…"

"Why do you ask?" Stephen asked, looking over at Pepper.

"Because something happened around that time that just stinks of magical interference. No offense intended."

"I was playing chess, most likely. Or maybe watching your brilliant gal here work the stock market and make you another billion dollars."

Stark looked at Pepper, too.

"Only a _billion_?"

She shrugged.

"It was a slow day, and I was distracted."

Stark smiled, but Strange interrupted whatever he might have been planning to say.

"What do you mean by magical interference?" he asked, curiously.

"Well… one minute we had an entire room full of guys holding weapons on each other – and a few on _us_ – and the next, there's a flash of yellow that looked suspiciously like one of those magical shields you use when you don't want someone hit by magic, a flare of red that is nothing I've ever seen before and then they were all down and out and we were the last ones standing in a fight where no one threw a single punch."

"Were you watching us?" Clint asked. "Just in case?"

"With my magic ball, you mean?" Strange asked, sarcastically. "Magic doesn't work that way, guys. If I had interfered, I would have had to have been _there_ , and as Pepper can tell you; I was here most of the day."

"Still looked like magic," Tony pressed. "What was Wong doing?"

"Wong doesn't leave the sanctum unless he needs to."

"Might have needed to today," Steve said.

"He would have told me."

"It sure _looked_ like magic," Natasha told him.

She had seen Wong and Strange spar a couple of times with magic, and had witnessed the shield Tony mentioned up close. It hadn't been there long, but she was a trained observer and knew what she'd seen.

Strange shrugged.

"I don't know what to tell you. I was here, and Wong was at the sanctum, so unless Harry Potter showed up out of the blue, it has to have been something else."

"Like what?"

"I don't know? A _missile_? You're the ones with the guns, not me."

For good reasons.

Tony brought out his phone, bringing up the 3-D display.

"I downloaded what Friday recorded. Look at it, okay? Tell me that it isn't magic. Because it wasn't a missile, and if anyone would know, it's me."

Strange nodded, and they all watched the footage as everyone suddenly had guns in their hands – which freaked Pepper out just a little when she saw the danger that they'd all been in. Then Strange's gaze intensified when he saw the yellow, and then the flash of red and everyone go down.

"Play it again."

Tony did, silently, but this time he watched _Strange_ watching the display.

"It _is_ magic, isn't it?"

"Yes. It's a shield spell followed by a stunner spell."

"A stunner spell?" Natasha repeated.

"Non-lethal, but pretty painful."

"They weren't happy when we finally got them awake," Steve said. "Headaches and even some bloody noses and ears."

"Yes, that would fit the side effects of the spell."

"They were amazingly ready to agree to anything we wanted them to do, though," Stark said. "So thank you."

"It wasn't me, Tony," Strange said. "I've already told you that I was here."

"Wong, then."

"No. If Wong had been there, those guys would all have been killed. The stunner is one I came up with, personally, to avoid fatalities. Wong doesn't have that hesitation."

"Really?"

"I took an oath not to do harm," he reminded them. "It didn't say don't do harm until you learn how to do magic and then do whatever the hell you want."

"Well it wasn't Harry Potter," Clint said.

"It wasn't _me_."

"Renegade magician somewhere?" Steve asked.

"In _Romania_? Watching over the Avengers? _Doubtful_."

"What, then?"

Strange shrugged.

"I'll ask Wong. He keeps his ear to the ground for magical interference. Maybe he felt something."

"Think so?"

"I doubt it. He would have let me know, if he had."

"Well, let us know, okay?"

"I will." He looked around the table. "None of you were injured?"

"Nope. Like I said, by the time we got them around, they were ready to cooperate. Romania won't be an issue any time soon."

"Good. I'm going home, then." He stood up and met Natasha's gaze for just a moment before looking at Stark and Pepper. "I'll be by in the morning to check on Peter."

"Okay."

Strange vanished with the cloak and the others looked at each other. No one had anything to add, though.

"We'll debrief tomorrow, okay?" Steve suggested. "I'm tired."

"Yes. Get some sleep everyone. Good job. You can all take tomorrow off, even. Not _you_ , Pepper. You have to make more money. Daddy needs a new fishing boat."

OOOOOOOO

Despite Wong's medication forcing him to sleep, Peter woke when Natasha came by to check on him.

"You're home?" he asked, sleepily, when she sat on the edge of his bed, debating on waking him or not – and if she would add to his misery if she joined him under the blankets. His face was sheened with sweat from his fever.

"Yeah. Safe and sound."

"I was worried."

"I know. We're okay."

He coughed into his elbow, wincing at the way it hurt his already raw throat and Romanoff brushed his hair back from his forehead. He was flushed and looked miserable. Maybe worse than he had that morning. He closed his eyes at her touch.

"It was scary…" he murmured.

"What was, baby?"

"You guys being gone," he told her, not opening his eyes and almost asleep again now that he knew his world was once more a safe place. "I thought those guys at the warehouse were going to hurt you…"

"You saw that?" she asked, frowning.

"Dreamed it…" he said.

"When?"

He didn't answer, though. She'd lulled him back to sleep with her touch, and he didn't even hear the question.


	31. Chapter 31

_He dreamed of the funeral._

 _The sadness, the sorrow, and the two tombstones that he'd huddled between in the rain. His dad's image came to him unbidden, now, and it was a dream, not a memory. He simply sat with him, being rained on but ignoring it._

 _Promises made, and promises broken. The first time he could remember it happening when his dad had promised he'd be home soon and then hadn't. May telling him she'd be there for him always, and now she wasn't._

 _He felt anger, but knew it was misplaced. His parents didn't want to leave him, he was sure. They'd loved him. He didn't remember much about them on his own, but he knew that much. No one could look at someone the way his memories showed them looking at him and not love them. May had fought to stay with him as long as she could, but she had left him, eventually. Not because she wanted to, though, he knew._

 _She had loved him._

 _He was very lucky, in that regard, he knew. He had been loved all his life. When one person who loved him had left, then someone else had always been there to step up and be the next to say it. But they always left him. The thought made him sad, and made him think that he might be better off if no one loved him, because then nothing would happen to them and they wouldn't leave him._

 _That thought made him sad, too. And made him feel hopeless. He knew himself well enough to know that he wasn't the kind of person who could wall himself away from others and he didn't want to learn how to be that kind of person. He wanted to love, and to be loved._

 _He didn't know what to do, and the quiet semblance of his father sitting beside him in his dream didn't have any advice for the son he'd left so many years ago._

Peter sobbed in his sleep, which set off a coughing fit that threatened to pull him from the dream he'd been having.

"Easy…"

The boy felt a bearded jaw press against his and reached his hand up to touch that jaw, still in the grasp of the delusion, certain that he was still with him. He hadn't left him, just yet.

" _Dad…"_

Tony Stark could hear the anguish in Peter's raspy voice, and the loneliness that echoed the dream the boy had been having. He felt the sting of tears in his eyes and brushed Peter's hair with his hand, comforting him as well as he could, debating if he should try to lull him back to sleep, or wake him up to make sure he understood that he wasn't alone.

Another sob, and Stark decided to wake him up and break whatever dream he was having. He shook his shoulder, lightly.

"Peter…?"

He opened his eyes, looking up at him.

"Mr. Stark…"

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just checking on you. How do you feel?"

"I don't want to be buried…"

"What?"

"Don't _bury_ me, okay? Please? It's too sad."

"Don't worry about that, Peter," Tony told him, brushing his hand along the boy's cheek.

It was wet with tears, but he was pretty sure that Peter wasn't completely awake. He decided that he'd made the right decision to sit with him, in case Wong's medicine wasn't enough to keep him from sleepwalking. The boy didn't seem to be planning on getting out of bed, but he was definitely not sleeping as soundly as they had hoped.

"I don't want to be left behind…"

"Go to sleep," Tony told him, wondering what was going through the boy's mind just then. Obviously the funeral, but concern about them leaving him to go to Romania? Or was it the fact that May – and from the sorrow in the softly uttered single plea, his _parents_ – had all left him behind as well. "No one's leaving you."

"I don't want to be _buried_. Okay?"

"Okay, Peter."

It was a long time before the boy finally went back to sleep, but Stark was in no hurry to leave him and go back to his own bed, preferring to make sure that he was soundly sleeping before he left the room.

OOOOOOOO

When Peter woke next, it was Natasha who was sitting on the edge of his bed watching him sleep. She smiled when he opened his eyes, but frowned at the raspy cough that woke up with him.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"Hi, Natasha."

"How do you feel?"

He shrugged, looking around, and she knew what he was looking for before he even asked.

"Did I sleepwalk?"

"No."

"My head hurts," he said, answering her question. "And my throat is sore."

"Worse than yesterday?"

"No."

"That's a plus, then, right?"

"Yeah."

"We're going to keep you in bed today, I think," she told him. "Unless Stephen says otherwise."

"Okay."

He didn't feel like doing anything, anyway, so he wasn't going to argue.

"Where's Mr. Stark?"

"Hovering around here, somewhere. Drink this."

She handed him a mug, and he frowned.

"Is that Dr. Strange's stuff?"

She smiled, sympathetically.

"Yes. Sorry. He left it for you before he went back to the sanctum last night and specifically told us to make sure you drink it."

"It's awful."

"Drink it fast."

He sighed and did what she told him to do, knowing that there wasn't any reason to argue with her. It didn't taste any better, and it was actually worse when it wasn't warm – and he hadn't thought that was possible.

"Ugh."

Romanoff smiled, and took the empty cup away from him.

"Ready to go back to sleep?"

"You'll stay for a while?"

"Of course."

He put his head back on the pillow, but his hand reached for hers.

"Did you finish what you needed to do in Romania?" he asked.

"Yeah. We shouldn't need to go back for a while." She hesitated. "You know about the men in the warehouse?"

"The ones with the guns?"

"Yeah."

He nodded.

"Yes."

"How?"

"I dreamed about them. About you guys."

"Did you see what happened to them?"

"I don't remember," he admitted. "Did they die?"

She shook her head.

"No. They're all fine."

He closed his eyes with a sigh, and she knew the medicine was starting to pull him away from the conversation – and, for the moment, from her.

"I didn't want anyone to die," Peter told her.

"I know, baby."

He was asleep in only minutes, and she put his hand down, leaned over and kissed his cheek gently before she left him.

OOOOOOOO

"It had to be the Mind stone," she told Tony a short time later when they'd all gathered to debrief. "He told me that he dreamed about the men in the warehouse, and he doesn't have any reason to make it up – and no way he could have come up with it on his own."

"That stupid stone…"

She shrugged.

"It saved us a lot of hassle."

"Yeah, it did," Steve agreed. "But we'll want to verify that with Strange. That it's even _possible_ , I mean. The stone doesn't _do_ magic, right?"

"That's my understanding," Stark said. "Stephen will be by later to check on Peter. I'll talk to him, then."

"How's Peter doing?" Clint asked.

"He's got a nasty cough, a headache and a sore throat."

"Typical cold symptoms, then."

"You'd know."

Clint had kids, and had seen his through all the usual ailments.

"Can he have company?"

"I think he'd like some."

"Nothing this morning, though," Stark cautioned. "I want him to sleep as long as possible."

He'd wait to see what Stephen had to say.


	32. Chapter 32

Strange wouldn't rule out the Mind stone when Stark brought it up shortly after he'd arrived at the compound that morning. The doctor appeared by Peter's quarters and had went to check on the boy, letting Tony know that he was there at the same time so Stark could join him. The cloak immediately draped itself over Peter, caressing his hair but obviously not interested in waking him.

By the time Tony joined him in Peter's room, Strange had refilled the mug with Wong's medicine for later, and had checked him for fever – but _he_ didn't want him awake, either, and had been careful not to do anything to disturb him.

"If it were anything other than an Infinity stone I'd call you crazy to even suggest it," he told Stark as they headed to the lounge. "I'd say that a spell couldn't be cast from a distance like that. The stones are a rule unto their own, though."

"So it decided that your spell was the one to use and took out our Romanians?"

"I doubt that it actually did the casting. They're magical, but I don't know that it can actually cast a spell the way we do."

"What, then? _You_ didn't cast it, right?"

"No, I'd have known if the stone had used my powers to cast the spell. There's an ebb and flow to magic, and nothing like that happened to me. If I had to guess I'd say it used Peter's innate ability to cast a spell that it took from my mind. He's the one it's linked in with, after all."

"It can do that?"

"It has before," he reminded him.

"Yeah, to move a _book_. That was right there in the same building. This was in Romania – and there were a _lot_ of guys taken out."

"And none of them were killed," Strange said. "Which means me, or Peter. You and I both know Peter doesn't care for violence and doesn't want to hurt someone if there's a different way. The Mind stone would know that, too. Obviously it went for a nonlethal option when you guys got into trouble to keep from distressing him."

"If you would have felt it using you, why didn't Peter?"

"He slept all day. But his fever was up a bit, so maybe he did."

Stark scowled.

"I don't like that thing using him."

"I doubt it cares what _you_ like," Stephen told him as they entered the lounge. "Its connection is with Peter, and I know he was worried about you. If he told Natasha he was dreaming about you guys, then it was probably keeping tabs on you for him. It'll do whatever it thinks it needs to do for him. You might talk to Vision. He may have a way to tell it to butt out, but if it hasn't by now, then I doubt it will."

"Why do you look so grumpy?" Romanoff asked Stark as the two men joined her and Rogers at the table.

"The whole Mind stone thing."

"So you think it _was_ the Mind stone?" Steve asked.

Strange nodded.

"Best guess, yes."

"What do we do about it?"

"Nothing you can do. It seems to like Peter, and we already know how hard it is to get a magical relic to do something it doesn't want to do."

The Cloak of Levitation was a prime example of things that they had little control over doing whatever they wanted to do, after all.

"I'd rather it liked him than not," Natasha said, pragmatically. "Did you check on him?"

Strange nodded.

"He's asleep. Wake him up sometime soon to feed him, and try to keep him awake for a while, just to get an idea of how the cold is progressing. Better or worse. Then dose him and put him back to sleep. A few more days of solid sleep will help put him right."

OOOOOOOOO

 _He dreamed of May._

 _It seemed he always did, lately, but he missed her so much that it only made sense that his subconscious mind was focused on her. The memory wasn't his, but she was holding him and he could see himself in her arms. It wasn't her memory, either, then, and he was very small so it was an old one._

 _There was an old car, shiny and red and waxed until it gleamed in the sun. May was smiling at whoever it was she was looking at, and laughing silently at something that was being said. He saw himself smiling in response to the laughter, although in the dream he was too young to understand what had been so amusing, and as an observer he wasn't able to see or hear what had been so funny._

 _It didn't matter, though. Why she was smiling wasn't nearly as important to him as the fact that she was. He smiled, too._

 _The scene changed and now he was in the car. This was his memory, because he could see the back of his father's head from his seat behind him. The window was down and the scenery was going by so fast that it seemed impossible they weren't taking off._

 _He turned and saw May sitting beside him in the back seat of the car, her hand out her window, playing with the pressure of the air passing by the car. He put his hand out his window, too, and felt it pushed back by the resistance. She looked over at him and smiled. And he smiled, too._

"Peter?"

The dream vanished, but the cheerfulness that had engulfed him didn't. He opened his eyes and saw Mr. Stark leaning over him, watching him. Behind him were Natasha and Doctor Strange.

"Hey…"

He sat up and coughed, feeling wretched but not minding. The dream had been so good. So real. But nothing he remembered.

Stark looked over his shoulder at Stephen.

"That's normal?"

"It's just a _cold_ , Tony," he assured him. "Coughs are part of it."

"How do you feel, Peter?" Natasha asked when the coughing fit passed.

"Okay. A little tired."

Or maybe just groggy from all the sleeping that he'd been doing.

"Ready to eat something?" Stark asked.

"Not more of that stuff…" he said, looking at the mug on the nightstand by his bed.

Strange smiled.

"We can probably find something more substantial for the moment."

"Oatmeal?"

"Sure."

A tray appeared, and Tony put it over his lap for him.

"You guys aren't eating?"

"We already did," Natasha told him, walking around the bed and sitting beside him on the other side. "We're just here to keep you company while _you_ eat."

Stark put his hand on the boy's forehead.

"Fever's down, huh?"

"I noticed that earlier," Strange said, seating himself in a chair by the bed. "It's still there, but we're making some progress."

"I feel better," Peter told them, unwilling to have them all worrying about him when it wasn't really necessary.

"Good." Stark shifted, reaching behind him for a bag. "When you're done eating we're going to teach you a new game. We picked it up in Romania for you to try."

Curious, Peter set down his spoon and took the bag from him. And pulled out a deck of cards. Cards that were in a different language – _Romanian_ , he was sure, although the lack of an affirmative response to that assumption told him that the Mind stone wasn't hanging out in his head just then – and with odd looking pictures on them, but they were still _cards_.

"It's a game I learned when I was a lot younger than you are," Natasha told him. "We're going to see if your run of bad luck with card games crosses international borders. If you feel up to it?"

"Sure."

He didn't care what they played, or even what they did. He just wanted to spend time with them.


	33. Chapter 33

"Well, that is just _uncanny_ …"

Peter shrugged, good-naturedly, and tossed his cards into the pile, conceding his loss of the hand. _And_ the game. The sixth game they'd played - and the sixth game he'd lost.

"Maybe we're not _playing_ it right?"

"I've been playing it since I was _ten_ , Peter," Natasha told him with an amused smile, pleased that he had had a good time, even though he had proven he was bad at international games, as well. "I'm pretty sure we're playing it right."

Strange shook his head, equally amused.

"I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it for myself."

"Don't listen to them, Peter," Tony told the boy, gathering up the cards. "They're just jealous."

"That they _won_?"

"Yeah. It puts more pressure on them the next time we play."

"Right…"

"Of course, I call dibs on being on _Natasha's_ team, next time…"

Stark winked at the boy, making sure he understood that he was only teasing, but Peter wasn't hurt, and even managed a smile.

They'd played for almost an hour, and he was well aware that he hadn't made a very good showing of himself at the new game. He was also aware that he wasn't good at _most_ card games, so losing wasn't that big of a deal. It _was_ a fun game, though, and he had had a good time learning it. Especially since Mr. Stark hadn't scowled about being stuck with him as a partner.

"I think it's time to let Peter get some sleep," Stephen said.

He'd seen what he wanted to see over the course of the hour. Peter had coughed a few times, but he hadn't shown any sign of feeling worse than he had the day before –and maybe even was feeling a little better. No sense in ruining that by keeping him awake any longer than necessary when more sleep would undoubtedly do the boy some good.

None of them argued. Peter was ready to sleep, even though he wouldn't have admitted it. Stark had been relieved that he seemed to be feeling a little better, and wanted to do whatever Stephen told them to do to get him back on his feet. Natasha had to admit that she wasn't really feeling all that well and was thinking that the jetlag might be kicking in – even though she'd never had trouble with the problem before.

"Drink this," the doctor told him, handing Peter the mug.

"I could sleep without it."

"I'm certain of it," Strange agreed. "But it also contains a cough suppressant and something to keep you from being congested."

"Nice try, Peter," Tony said, well aware that he didn't care for the taste of the concoction.

The boy sighed and downed the drink reluctantly, making a face the entire time.

"We'll wake you up for dinner, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the game. It was fun."

They waited for him to get settled and cover himself, and then the cloak transferred over to Strange, who didn't plan on staying at the compound since they didn't really need him. He'd come back later just to make sure they didn't need anything – and to refresh the drink for the boy, to help him sleep through the night.

Stark brushed a hand along Peter's forehead.

"If you need anything, call me, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

He closed his eyes, already feeling himself getting sleepy.

OOOOOOOOO

"You're leaving?" Stark asked Stephen as they let themselves out into the corridor.

He hadn't missed that the cloak had left Peter, and knew that only really happened when it didn't want to be left behind.

"Yes. If you need anything, you know how to reach me."

"Yeah."

The doctor regarded both of them with his ultra-intense gaze.

"I'd suggest you both take the opportunity to get some rest while Peter's sleeping. You look tired."

He didn't wait for them to either agree with his assessment or disagree. He just nodded to Tony and gave Natasha a slight smile and then vanished, taking the cloak with him.

Stark made a slightly annoyed sound, and shrugged.

"I'm going to go see what Pepper's doing. I'll see you later, okay?"

Romanoff nodded, and headed to her quarters.

A nap was a good idea.

OOOOOO

"How's he doing?"

"He doesn't like your tonic."

"I told you I could make it taste better."

"Medicine isn't supposed to taste good."

"Says the guy who doesn't get sick."

Strange smiled.

"Make some more, though."

"Oh?"

"Tony and Natasha are both coming down with something. _Probably_ Peter's cold."

Wong shook his head.

"I could make strawberry flavored…"

"Just stick with the original recipe, okay?"

"Fine."

"Did you start researching the relics you want Peter to look at?"

"Yeah. Want to take a look at the list?"

"Yes."

They both headed for the library.

OOOOOOOO

"What are you doing?"

"Making money so daddy can have a new fishing boat. Even though he doesn't have an _old_ fishing boat – and he doesn't really fish…"

Stark smiled, seating himself on the edge of her desk.

'Maybe we'll go on a fishing trip sometime."

"You said Peter let every fish he caught on the camping trip go free."

"He did."

"And pretty much made you do the same."

"Yes. He used his big puppy dog eyes to make me feel guilty for wanting fish for dinner."

Pepper arched an eyebrow at him.

"Do you really think it would have different results just because you're on a _boat_?"

"It'd be worth a try. Or we could get some lobster traps and have lobster, instead."

"And you'd boil them alive and think that somehow _that_ would go over better?"

Stark scowled.

"You know, you're not _helping_."

She smiled, and pulled his head down to kiss him.

"I'm just thinking ahead, Tony. That's why I get paid the big bucks."

He kissed her, willingly, and smiled against her lips.

"I don't remember the bucks being all that big…"

"I voted myself a raise last year."

"You did?"

"I didn't tell you?"

"No."

"Huh. I thought I _did_." She let him go with a last kiss. "How's Peter?"

"Sleeping. Or he should be by now. The cough worries me, but Stephen doesn't seem concerned. Says it's all part of having a cold, and kids get colds, and get used to it."

She shook her head.

"We'll have to figure all of that out, huh? Kind of a learn as you go type thing."

He nodded.

"We're intelligent and responsible. We'll get there."

"Did you just call yourself _responsible_?"

"It's a loose classification…"

Pepper smiled, and brushed her fingers along his jaw and cheek

"You should go get some sleep. You look a little tired."

Which wasn't surprising, all things considered.

"Stephen just told me the exact same thing – which makes me _not_ want to sleep – even though I do feel tired…"

"Well, Mr. Responsible… go take a nap and let me get my work done."

"Come tuck me in?"

"If I do, then _you_ won't get a nap, and _I_ won't get my work done."

She knew him so well!

"And that's a bad thing?"

She shook her head, amused.

"Go get some sleep, Tony. I don't want you coming down with anything."

"I'm _Ironman_ , Pepper. Superheroes don't catch colds."


	34. Chapter 34

Peter slept fitfully through the evening. He was restless when Stark brought him dinner, but woke without complaint and sat up and managed a lucid conversation with him while he ate. They didn't discuss anything serious – mostly Tony told him about the flight to Romania, and their time shopping the markets for the card game they'd brought him. _He_ didn't mention the warehouse, and Peter didn't bring it up.

"Are you okay?" Stark asked when the boy had finished his meal.

"Yeah. You?"

He looked tired, even though he'd told Peter that he'd just woken up.

"Right as rain. Drink your magic potion and go back to sleep, okay?"

Peter made a face but took the mug from him and drank it down. It still tasted horrible, but he decided that his taste buds must be getting numbed to it, because he didn't even gag on it this time.

"You're good?" Stark asked, taking the mug back, amused.

"Yeah."

"Good night. Call if you need anything."

"Okay."

Peter closed his eyes, but he didn't fall asleep immediately. He was restless and edgy, and recognized that it was coming from those spider senses of his. Nothing urgent – not at all like the dread that had gripped him when May had left him, or when the building had been dropped on him and he just hadn't been quick enough to move out of the way. _This_ was more of an underlying tingle, and it seemed to be somewhat focused on Natasha and Mr. Stark.

He tossed and turned in his bed for a long time before finally drifting off, and when he did, his dreams echoed that concern, and his sleep was troubled.

OOOOOOOO

Natasha had skipped dinner in favor of sleeping. She was just too tired to have an appetite and her head ached a little. Probably because her head was stuffed and it was making her miserable. It was pretty much the worst case of jetlag she'd ever dealt with, and she was almost relieved when she felt him slide under her blankets beside her and cuddle up against her side.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked her, softly, when she gathered him into her arms and pulled the blankets up over the two of them.

"Yes," she assured him, even though she had to clear her throat to do it. "You?"

He nodded.

"Just worried."

"About what?"

"You. And Mr. Stark."

She pressed a kiss against his ear and ran her fingers through his hair.

"We're home, sweetheart. There's nothing to worry about."

"Okay…"

"Go to sleep."

He nodded, and was still beside her, and Romanoff went back to sleep almost immediately, too.

OOOOOOOO

It was a coughing fit that woke Peter. A deep wracking sound that dragged him from his restless dreams about bad things happening to Natasha and Stark. Not _terrible_ things; they weren't being beat up, or shot at, or anything like that, but his dreams had an underlying concern that kept him agitated and restless.

Then he woke completely and realized that _he_ wasn't the one coughing.

He sat up, watching in the near dark as Natasha coughed and then rolled over onto her side, her breathing wheezy. Peter put a hand on her forehead, but she wasn't much warmer than normal, he didn't think. He wasn't a _doctor_ , though, so he could be wrong and he knew it.

The underlying concern that had plagued his sleep all night came crashing over him like a wave cresting on a beach and he felt a bit of panic. What if he _lost_ her? Maybe it was something serious? She could have picked up some odd disease in Romania and he might lose her.

She could leave him like everyone else had.

He got out of her bed without disturbing her – _she_ was a super spy, yes, but Peter could be quiet when he tried. Besides, she wasn't at her best, just then. He covered her back up and reached for his watch, pressing the right buttons as he went into her living room to avoid waking her.

There was a lengthy pause – it felt like hours to him – before he got a reply.

" _Peter?"_

"I need you. _Please_?"

" _Where are you?"_

"Natasha's room."

There was no reply, but only an instant later, Dr. Strange walked into the room, looking worried and rumpled, clearly pulled from his bed, to judge by the shorts and t-shirt he was wearing. He saw Peter and walked over.

"What's wrong?"

"Natasha's sick."

Strange let himself into her bedroom, and Peter followed. The sound of the wracking cough greeted them, and the doctor turned on the light, needing more to see by than the little Peter required.

Romanoff woke up when the light went on and rolled over, obviously confused to find Strange and Peter watching her sleep.

She coughed again and sat up.

"What's going on? Are you guys okay?"

Stephen reached out and put his hand on her forehead, while Peter looked on, clearly worried – even though she had no idea why.

"We're fine," Strange assured her. "How do you feel?"

"Jet-lagged," she admitted. Then she sneezed.

He smiled, and shook his head, handing her a tissue that suddenly appeared in his hand. The rest of the box materialized onto her nightstand.

"I don't think you're _jet-lagged_ , Natasha," he told her. "I'd say you've caught Peter's cold."

She frowned.

"I don't have time to catch –" she trailed off, and looked over at Peter. "You called _Stephen_?"

"I was worried. I didn't know who else to call…"

Scared, more like, but he didn't say that.

She seemed to understand though, and the frown faded.

"He was right to," Strange told her. "I _did_ tell him that if he needed anything, he could call me, and this certainly qualifies." He looked over at Peter, who was perched on the edge of Natasha's bed, watching. "It's not serious, Peter. No more than _your_ cold is. She'll be fine in a week or two."

He felt the edginess that he'd been feeling all evening fade, and nodded.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you," he said. "I just woke up and it sounded so bad, I panicked."

"You didn't bother me. We'll dose her and get you both back to bed so you can get some sleep."

A mug appeared in his hand and he offered it to the boy, who frowned.

"Drink this."

"But I'm not-"

"Just drink it."

Peter took the mug and drank it down, wondering if protein shakes might taste better, after all. He handed the mug back to Strange, and another one appeared, which he handed to Natasha, who shook her head.

"I'm not drinking that."

She'd seen Peter's reaction to it, after all.

"Doctor's orders," Stephen told her. "Unless you want anarchy to reign supreme when Peter argues next time I try to give it to _him_ …?"

She tossed him a look that was not amused, but he had to force down the smile that he felt tugging at his lips when she took the mug and drank it without argument.

"Ugh."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry."

He took the mug back.

"What's in that? Gym shoe sweat?"

"You'd have to ask Wong. Now both of you, back to sleep."

Peter looked at Natasha, hopefully.

"Can I sleep with you?"

She smiled, and pulled her blanket back for him, patting the other side of her bed.

"You don't even have to ask."

They both watched as he slid back under her blankets with her, nestling up to her side. She leaned back and his cheek went to her collarbone, and a hand came to rest on her stomach. Reassured, the panic that had woken him – and kept him awake even with a double dose of Wong's drink, ebbed, and he was asleep in moments.

Strange smiled, leaned over and pulled the blankets up over both of them.

"You realize when _I_ ask you that same question, the result will be much different, right?"

Her echoing smile was tender.

"I certainly hope so."

He kissed her, then, and it was filled with the promise of much more. But it would definitely have to wait. Her bed was already taken at the moment, and nothing killed a mood like a runny nose.

"You're staying?"

Strange nodded.

"If you're already showing symptoms, Tony probably will be, too. I might as well be around in the morning to dose him."

He'd sleep in his quarters in the compound to avoid being forced to jump back and forth.

"He'll love that."

"I'm the _doctor_."

He kissed her again, and told her to go to sleep.

Then he turned off the light and left her room.


	35. Chapter 35

"How did you know?" Pepper asked Strange.

"Peter called me late last night. Natasha was showing symptoms and it scared him."

"Is she alright?"

"She's _fine_. A bit of a cough, so far. Just like Tony, here. When I left them they were both sleeping."

Stark scowled up at them from his bed, obviously not feeling well, although he wasn't ready to admit it.

"I'm not sick."

"I know," Pepper told him. "You're _Ironman_ and superheroes don't get sick."

"Drink this, Tony," Strange told him. "Then go back to sleep."

"I'm not drinking that. And I need to go check on Peter."

"I'll check on him," Pepper assured him.

"He's my responsibility…"

She arched an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms over her breasts.

"You don't trust me to do it?"

He wasn't so sick that he was dumb enough to answer that any way but one.

"Of _course_ I do."

Besides, it was the _truth_. He trusted her with everything.

"Then drink your medicine and go back to sleep. I'll take care of things."

He grumbled, but he took the mug from Strange and drank it down.

"I'm not sick."

The denial might have been a little more forceful if he hadn't started coughing in the middle of it. Pepper frowned, concerned, and covered him up with the blankets.

"Get some sleep. I'll bring you breakfast in a while."

She and Strange left him, closing the door behind them.

"It's just a cold?" she verified.

Stephen nodded.

"Just a cold."

"I'm going to go check on Peter. Is he in Natasha's bed or his?"

The boy was well traveled when it came to sleeping arrangements, after all. Mostly because of his sleepwalking, she knew, but also because sometimes it was just easier to let him sleep wherever he ended up – and no one minded.

"Natasha's."

"Are you going back to the sanctum?"

The doctor shook his head.

"I think I'll stick around here for a while. It wouldn't be fair to leave you to deal with Tony alone."

She smiled at that. She could handle him, but it was the thought that counted. Besides, he was good company.

"Thanks."

OOOOOOOO

"They look pretty comfortable."

"Yeah, they do…"

"Can't have that."

"No."

Peter opened his eyes just in time to see Clint Barton climb onto Natasha's bed, climb over her and wriggle himself between Romanoff and himself, which woke her, as well.

Steve Rogers grinned at the expression on her face, and then he, too, climbed over her and settled in beside Clint.

"What are you _doing_?" Natasha asked, sleepily.

"We heard you were _sick_."

"Hanging out with the wrong crowd, most likely," Barton added, ruffling Peter's hair, affectionately.

"Thought you could use some company," Steve added.

"Why don't you go bother Stark?"

" _He's_ sick, too, apparently," Barton told her.

"He _is_?" Peter asked, concerned.

Hawkeye nodded, but smiled.

"Don't look so worried, Peter. He's just got a _cold_. He's in no more danger than you are from it."

"But with _Nat_ down sick, that means _we_ get to goof off for the week," Steve said.

"Too bad _you're_ sick, too, Peter. We could go find something to do."

"It'd be hard to goof off with a broken leg," Romanoff told them.

Barton lifted his leg, smirking.

"Looks good."

"If you don't get out of my bed it's going to be in a cast."

Peter wasn't the only one to smile at that.

"That's good advice, gentlemen," came a voice from the doorway.

They all looked over and saw Doctor Strange watching them, with Pepper standing beside him.

"It's a _dog pile_ , doc," Clint told him, patting the space on the other side of him – which was currently occupied by Peter. "Plenty of room."

"I'll pass." He looked amused, though, Peter noticed. "Since you don't have any plans, however, you can play nursemaids to Natasha and Peter. Pepper is going to have her hands full with Tony, and I'm not going to be able to stay all day."

"Sure," Barton agreed. "We can do that."

Rogers nodded.

"I'm not doing _sponge baths_ , though. Natasha's too dangerous and Peter's too male."

"I don't need a nursemaid," Natasha told Strange. "Just a little more sleep and I'll probably be fine."

She ruined that denial with a coughing fit, and once she was done, Steve reached over her and took a glass of water off her nightstand and handed it to her. She nodded a thank you, drank it down and put it back on her nightstand. Once it was out of the way, she wrapped an arm around Steve and rolled him over her and out of her bed before he realized what she was up to.

Barton prudently rolled over Peter and used the boy as a shield between him and Romanoff.

"You'll be in bed for at least a week," Strange told her as Rogers got to his feet, amused at being booted so brusquely out of the bed. He held up a hand to stop her when she started to argue. "If you listen to me, you'll be better in a matter of days – a week at the most. If you try to do it your way, it'll be much longer, I assure you."

"Listen to the man, Nat," Clint said. "Get well, and then we can take Peter to Phoenix with us next week."

" _If_ he wants to go," Rogers added, looking at the boy.

"In the jet?"

"We're not _walking_ ," Barton said, rolling out of Natasha's bed. "Level flight, too, maybe you can fly for a little while, since you've proven yourself in the simulator."

" _Really_?"

" _Maybe_ ," Steve said, shrugging. "Get better, first, and we'll see."

"They're not going to get better if they don't get any sleep," Strange pointed out.

"Then we'll leave them alone for a while."

"Can I go see Mr. Stark?" Peter asked, remembering that he'd been worried about him and Natasha, and thinking that maybe now he knew why. He'd have liked to make sure that he really was all right.

Strange looked at Pepper, who nodded.

"If he's sleeping don't wake him up, okay?" Pepper said. "Unless _you_ want to sing him back to sleep."

"Okay."

Peter got out of Natasha's bed and left, silent on bare feet, and the others watched him leave.

"How's he doing?" Steve asked.

"All things considered? He's holding it together fairly well. You guys have no idea how important the support he's been getting from you has been. It's going to make all the difference in the world that he has a shoulder whenever he needs one."

"Think he could handle a trip with us when he's over being sick?"

"I think it would be a good distraction – as long as Tony signs off on it."

"Which he _will_ ," Pepper assured them.

"We'll feed both before they go back to sleep, but sleep is what will get them well. And no rough housing."

"Aww…"

OOOOOOOOO

Tony was awake when Peter crept into his quarters and peeked around the open door to the bedroom to check on him. He was propped up in the bed, looking at his phone, but glanced over when Friday gave him a heads up that the boy was there.

"Hey."

"Hi, Mr. Stark. How do you feel?"

Tony waved the boy into the room and patted the edge of the bed. Peter sat down, and reached over and rested his hand against Stark's forehead, checking for a fever.

It was such a reversal of roles that Stark couldn't help but smile.

" _Well_?"

"No fever."

"Nope. Just a cough, a bit of a headache and a sore throat. Stephen's disgusting brew will clear that up, he assures me."

"And _sleep_."

"And sleep."

"I'm sorry I got you sick."

Stark shrugged.

"It'll give me a few days in bed. But that _doesn't_ mean I'm not here for you if you need anything, all right?"

"Okay."

"I mean it."

"Yeah. I'm okay, though."

"Stephen didn't let you out of bed permanently, did he?"

"No. A few more days of sleep, he said."

"Romanoff is sick?"

"Yeah. She's coughing. A _lot_."

"Okay."

Peter hesitated.

"If you get lonely you can call me, you know, Mr. Stark…"

Tony smiled, touched, and broached another subject that was going to need changing.

"I appreciate that, and I'll probably take you up on it. But you're going to have to decide what _you're_ going to call me, you know. You can't call me 'Mr. Stark' when we're living under the same roof. You don't call Pepper 'Miss Potts', right?"

"What can I call you?"

"Whatever you're comfortable with. I'd be okay with _Tony_ , though, if you are."

"Okay."

"Good."

Stark sighed.

"Go back to bed and get some sleep, okay? You look tired and I want you healthy before I am."

"Do you need anything?"

"No, not right now. I'm going to take a nap. But don't stay away, okay? You're good company and I feel better when you're around."

Which made Peter smile.

"Okay."


	36. Chapter 36

" _Miss Potts,"_ Nick Fury's voice was a mixture of annoyed and amused. _"I have something in my bed that belongs to you. Would you please send Captain Rogers to move him, please? Again…"_

Pepper looked over at Steve, who was already getting to his feet.

"What do we try next?" he asked. His own voice was mostly amused, although there was a little exasperation in it, as well.

"Just put him in bed with Natasha. He's going to hurt himself if we can't keep him in place."

Rogers nodded.

"I'll be back."

Fury was standing in the doorway to his bedroom, arms folded over his chest, eye on the boy that was sleeping in his bed. He turned when Rogers rapped on his door and let himself into his quarters.

"I suppose I should be pleased," he said, softly, to avoid waking Peter. "If he's this good already – _sleepwalking_ – he's going to be a hell of an asset when he's older. And awake."

"He's restless," Steve explained. " _He's_ getting better, and Strange doesn't want him to get too close to Stark or Natasha – to avoid re-catching that cold. _He's_ worried about _them_ , and still dealing with losing his aunt and his own cold symptoms. He hasn't been sleeping well, and when he _is_ asleep, he doesn't stay in his bed – obviously."

"Obviously."

"He's got some amazing moves, though," Steve said, with a smile. "I tried to corral him back to his bed yesterday, and he walked up a wall and around me like I was just a speedbump."

"I thought Strange's cloak would keep him in bed…"

"Only if it wants to – or he lets it. And obviously only when it's here with him."

"I see."

"He's not doing it on _purpose_ , Director," Steve reminded him.

Fury sighed.

"I know. How are they doing?"

"Stark's fevered and irritable, so Strange is keeping him dosed pretty heavily. Natasha is finally losing the cough and is able to get some sleep, so she'll be up and around in a few days to a week – as long as nothing else comes around."

"Where are you going to put Houdini here?"

"With Natasha. Getting a fresh wave of the cold is probably a better option than pulling him out of the river – or the pool. He'll stay with Nat, almost certainly."

"And if he _doesn't_?"

Rogers shrugged.

"You know how to reach us if he winds up back here."

Fury scowled, and watched as Captain America went over to his bed and easily picked the sleeping boy up into his arms. He held his door for him and shook his head, now his expression was grudgingly impressed.

"Can't wait to see what that boy can do…"

As long as he didn't have to keep giving up his bed, of course.

OOOOOOOO

As the empty mug on her nightstand evidenced, Romanoff was sleeping off a dose of Wong's medicine. She and Stark were both a bit sicker than Peter had been – probably because neither of them had the same stamina nor healing ability that the boy did – thanks to his spider incident. Neither was in real danger, Strange was quick to assure the others – especially Pepper and Peter – they were just taking longer to get well and had been hit a little harder by the illness.

Steve shifted Peter in his arms enough to free a hand to pull the blankets back, and she opened her eyes when he carefully put Peter into the bed beside her.

"What…?"

The boy rolled toward her in his sleep, his right arm almost instinctively going over her stomach and his cheek against her breast. She reacted automatically, bringing an arm around him to hold him close to her side, tucking her chin over him, protectively.

"He's fine, Nat," Steve told her before she could ask, covering them both with the blankets. "We're just running out of ideas to keep him in place. You don't mind?"

She shook her head, sleepily, and looked down at the boy.

"No. I'll watch him."

"Need anything?"

"Chicken nuggets and French fries for dinner…"

Rogers smiled, allowing himself to brush her cheek, affectionately, for just a moment before doing the same to Peter's. "I'll let Strange know."

He let the room, and Natasha closed her eyes, already almost asleep again. Before he was out of her quarters, they were both resting peacefully.

OOOOOOOOO

"He's okay?"

Steve nodded, reclaiming his chair and his glass of tea.

"Yeah, he's fine, Pepper. I put him with Natasha."

"How does she look?"

"Tired. But she told me she wants nuggets and fries for dinner, so she's getting back to her old self."

"Stephen can bring some when he comes to check on them this evening."

"That's pretty much what I told her. No sense dating a wizard if he can't deliver up some fresh McDonald's when a Big Mac Attack hits, right?"

Pepper smiled at that. She didn't know that she would have called it _dating_ , per say, but there was definitely an ongoing chemistry between the two that everyone was enjoying – not that they would let Stephen and Natasha know. Well, she knew _Tony_ had dropped a few teasing remarks Strange's way, but would know better than to tease Romanoff unless he wanted to be turned into a pretzel.

"Good point. If you hear from him before I do, a burger does sound good."

Rogers nodded.

"I'll let him know."

Peter would probably eat one, too. He'd wait until they were all more awake to see.

Pepper finished her coffee.

"I'm going to go check on Tony," she said, standing up. "Maybe _he'll_ be asleep, too."

"Good luck."

OOOOOOO

He wasn't asleep.

He _was_ in bed, though, which was a victory of its own, because he was restless and irritable from the fever, and didn't want to stay still. Only the fact that her will was an equal match for his and he loved her whether he told her enough or not – which he _didn't_ , he knew – kept him in place.

He was long past the stage in his life where _his_ feelings meant more to him than hers did, and even sick like he was – and grumpy, which he _definitely_ was – that love for her was enough to keep him from lashing out at her when she told him to stay in bed. Or _else_.

Stark looked up when she entered the bedroom and turned off the movie that he hadn't really been watching.

"Everything okay?"

She nodded and sat on the edge of the bed next to him. She smiled, covered his mouth with her hand and then pressed a kiss against the back of her hand. Which made him roll his eyes every time she did it. This time was no exception.

"Everything is fine. Why aren't you asleep?"

"Because I'm not tired."

"You look tired."

"Where's Peter?"

"Sleeping."

"Where?"

"With Natasha."

"Did he sleepwalk again?"

"M-hmm…"

Pepper shifted until she was sitting beside him, and pulled him into her arms, brushing her hand along his jaw, cuddling him to try and get him to relax enough to get some sleep.

"Where did he end up?"

"Nick's quarters."

Tony snorted, and leaned against her, putting his arms around her, resting his head against her collarbone.

"He's okay?"

"Nick?" she asked, smiling, even though he didn't see it. "He's fine."

She knew he could hear her amusement in her voice, and he didn't care. Even sick and irritable, he loved her.

" _Peter_."

"Peter's fine, too, Tony. If you get some rest and feel a little better…" meaning not _grumpy_ … "We'll let him drop by to say hi later this evening."

"And spend some time with me?"

"Yes. If you sleep, now…"

He really didn't have a lot of choice. Her calm presence and gentle caresses were relaxing him and that was all that it took for Wong's medicine to get the upper hand. He closed his eyes and let her lull him to sleep.

Pepper just held him. She didn't have anything pressing that couldn't wait, and she wanted to try and keep him asleep for a while. At least until dinner time.

Maybe he'd want some nuggets, too.


	37. Chapter 37

The smell of fast food woke Stark. The motion of someone sitting on the edge of his bed made him open his eyes, and he smiled when he saw who it was.

"What are you eating?"

"Chicken sandwich." Peter held it out toward him. "Want some?"

"No. Thanks." He sat up a bit. "How do you feel?"

"I'm okay. Just woke up." Peter reached over and put a hand against Stark's forehead, though. "You're still warm."

"Not too bad," Tony told him. "Don't worry, okay?"

"Are you up for some company?"

"Yeah."

He patted the spot beside him and the boy settled in, tucking right up next to him, still munching on his dinner.

"Does Pepper know you're here?"

"Yeah. She said I can't get too close, or I might get you sick."

Stark smiled, pleased that the boy had regained his sense of humor.

"You've been getting enough sleep? Eating right?"

"I think so."

"How are you doing?"

This time Peter knew he wasn't asking about his cold, or his eating or sleeping habits. The boy hesitated, and then shrugged.

"I'm okay. Sometimes it hurts so much I don't think I can breathe, and other times it's not so bad. I suppose it's always going to hurt a little, though."

Stark put an arm around him.

"When it's too much, just take a step back and breathe, okay? And if you need anything you know I'm always here. Pepper, too."

"I know. Thanks."

"Do you get to stay?"

"They didn't tell me I have to come right back." He smiled and reached for the mug on the stand by the bed. "Dr. Strange said if you were awake to have you drink this."

That earned him a scowl.

"I'm not going to drink that."

"He said to tell you that if you don't, I can't stay."

"He didn't say that…"

Peter shrugged, and the scowl deepened.

"Fine." Tony took the mug and quaffed the contents as quickly as he could, then handed the mug back to Peter. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Yeah."

Stark handed the boy the remote, and settled in beside him, leaning against him like Peter had leaned on him so many times before.

"You choose."

"Comedy?"

"No."

"Action?"

"Nah…"

"Chick flick?"

"Peter…"

The boy smiled and pulled Tony's blankets up over him to make sure he was warm, and then started looking for a movie for them to watch. _He_ didn't care what it was; he was just in it for the company.

OOOOOOOOO

It was an hour or so later that Pepper and Strange came to check on things.

Peter looked up when they came through the door, but Stark had fallen asleep and Peter had turned the TV off to keep it from disturbing him. Instead he was reading a book he'd found on the nightstand.

"Why is it so dark in here?" Pepper asked, softly.

"I'm just reading," Peter told her, holding up the book. "I didn't want to wake him up when he fell asleep."

" _Did_ he wake up?" Strange asked, leaning over and resting a palm against Peter's forehead first, and then Stark's.

"Yeah. He drank that stuff and then we started watching a movie. When he fell asleep I just turned it off."

"And sat in the dark playing pillow?" Pepper asked with a smile, not missing the way Tony was leaning against the boy.

"I don't mind."

"I'd rather you not spend any more time with him than he needs to reassure himself that you're _healthy_ ," Strange told him. "We've got you almost over it, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"I feel okay."

"I know."

"Then I could-"

"Steve and Clint are in the lounge," Pepper said, to forestall any argument. "Why don't you go see what trouble you guys can get into…?"

Peter hesitated, but then he nodded and carefully extricated himself from beside Stark, set the book down on the stand where he'd found it and left.

Strange smiled at Pepper.

"Very smooth. You've got the mom thing down already…"

She shrugged.

"I think it's from dealing with Tony in _his_ more difficult years."

Pepper tucked the blankets around him, and then she and Strange left the room, too.

OOOOOOOOO

When Peter walked into the lounge Steve and Clint were sitting in the corner table eating burgers and fries and talking to Bruce who had already had dinner.

"How's Tony?" Bruce asked.

Peter shrugged.

"He's asleep, but he looked okay."

"How are _you_ doing?"

"Okay, thanks."

"Strange didn't send you back to bed?" Clint asked.

"No. Pepper told me to come find you guys and see what we can do…"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Steve and Clint looked at each other, and Clint grinned.

"Go put on your flight suit."

" _Really_?"

"Yeah. Why not? We'll meet you at the jet when you're ready."

Peter took off, and Steve shook his head.

"We're _not_ going to Phoenix."

"Nah. We don't _need_ to, though." He looked at Bruce. "Want to come?"

Banner hesitated, and then shrugged.

"Sure."

"Go get on your flight suit."

"Am I going to _need_ it?"

"Definitely."

Every time they had Peter in the jet a flight suit was needed – Clint liked to try to make the boy sick if he could.

" _We_ need to change, too," Steve said told him. "You have time. We'll meet you on the pad."

OOOOOOOO

It was more than two hours later when Peter walked into the lounge with Steve, Bruce and Clint. They saw Pepper and Stephen Strange seated at the table that they had recently vacated, and headed that way. Pepper smiled, because Peter was grinning ear to ear, Clint looked extremely pleased with himself and Banner and Rogers were both a little pale but relatively cheerful.

They were also all wearing flight suits.

"What have you guys been up to?" She asked, smiling because it was so good to see that Peter was.

"I flew the jet," Peter told her, hugging her, impulsively.

"You _did_?"

She frowned, looking at the others, but putting her arms around him almost automatically and holding him against her.

Clint nodded.

"He _did_. And he was _amazing_."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Strange frowned as well.

"I was under the impression that the Quinjet has fairly sensitive controls…"

"Oh, it _does_ ," Clint agreed. "Peter has the reflexes to handle it, though. Every turn was smooth as glass. I couldn't have done better."

Strange and Pepper both looked at Steve, who shrugged.

"We _were_ just going to take him for a flight – to get his mind off things – but we've checked him out in the simulator and he's cleared everything we threw at him, so we decided to let him give it a try."

"And you didn't _crash_ …" Strange said. " _Obviously_."

"He's good," Clint said, impressed. " _Really_ good."

"He didn't get to try landing or taking off, but I bet he wouldn't have any trouble with it," Steve added. "He's done _that_ in the simulator, too."

"I think Tony would prefer that he has his _driver's_ license before he starts going for a pilot's license," Pepper told them, squeezing the boy once more before letting him go. "But I'm glad you had fun."

"I did. Thanks." He smiled. "I'm going to go tell Natasha."

Peter turned and left, and Pepper frowned at Clint and Steve.

"That wasn't _exactly_ what I had in mind when I told him to go find some trouble to get into…"

"The boy's a natural," Steve told her, sitting down. "The jet never even threatened a stall, and like Clint said, his turns were smooth. Even the barrel rolls were perfect."

"He was doing _aerials_?"

"Made Bruce throw up," Clint confirmed with a grin.

Pepper wasn't smiling, though, now that Peter was gone.

"Guys…"

"It was safe," Steve assured her. "He really is good – or we never would have let him try it."

"Easy, momma bear," Clint said, recognizing the same look he'd seen on his wife's face a time or two when he and his son had found something to do that she might not have necessarily approved of. "He's on the ground and no harm done. _And_ he had a good time."

She relented, but shook her head.

"Let's not tell Tony until he's on his feet, okay?"

The less said about it, the better. For now, at least.

OOOOOOOOO

Natasha was, predictably, in her bed when Peter tapped on the door to her bedroom. Just because he tended to sleepwalk himself into her bed more often than not - and knew he was welcomed to be there even when he was _awake_ \- he wasn't rude enough to assume that she was okay with him barging into her bedroom whenever he wanted to.

He had better manners than that.

She smiled when she saw him and waved him in.

"Why are you wearing a flight suit?" she asked, when he walked over and flopped down beside her on her bed.

Peter grinned and hugged her, feeling just as exuberant as he had when he'd seen Pepper.

"I flew the jet."

"Without me?"

His smile faded. He hadn't thought about that. Just about _himself_.

"Yes. I'm sorry."

Romanoff felt guilty at just how quickly she'd squashed his excitement - and she knew how exciting it had had to have been for him to fly the Quinjet. Not the same as a _solo_ flight, of course, but incredible, she knew. Especially for a fifteen year old.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, kissing his temple.

"Don't be. I'm just being selfish, wishing I'd been there to see it. Did Clint take you up?"

"Yeah. I made Bruce throw up."

" _Really_?" She smiled at that, and let him go so she could look at him. "Tell me all about it."


	38. Chapter 38

Natasha fell asleep, almost in the middle of a conversation. Peter wasn't annoyed, or hurt, or even disappointed. He knew she was sick, and knew she'd had a dose of Wong's medicine during dinner, so he pretty much knew she wasn't going to stay up all night talking to him. He really preferred that she didn't. He knew she needed the sleep.

He debated simply falling asleep beside her. He wasn't really _tired_ , but was well aware that she could put him to sleep simply by holding him, and he didn't feel as safe anywhere as he did with her arms around him.

He was still wearing his flight suit, though, and it wasn't the most comfortable thing to sleep in. Not to mention Peter was sure it was even less comfortable to be cuddled up against. He didn't want to wake her up if she shifted in her sleep and felt the leather against her cheek, or her arm, when it could be the much softer sheet, blanket or pillow fabric.

With that in mind, Peter very carefully moved out of her embrace and slid a pillow under her cheek where his shoulder had been. She mumbled something in her sleep, but didn't wake up, and he sat beside her with endless patience while making sure she was soundly sleeping again before he got out of the bed. Once he did, he drew the covers up over her, turned off the light and closed her bedroom door behind him as he let himself out.

OOOOOOOO

His first stop was to go change into sweats and a t-shirt, but once he did, he didn't go to bed. He wasn't tired and as was often the case recently, he found himself restless. Peter didn't know why. He assumed it was worrying about Natasha and Mr. Stark – _Tony_ – but also figured that it was the fact that everything was going to be different, now, and even though he knew he was in good hands with Stark and Pepper, they still weren't _May's_ hands, and that thought always made him sad.

He walked through the corridors of the Avenger facility. He didn't have a destination in mind, he just didn't feel like being in bed, and didn't want to bother anyone. Bemused by the realization that he pretty much had the run of the place, he shook his head more than once when he passed by an empty research lab or a conference room. The place was amazing, and never got old to him. He could probably even go to the control center if he wanted to, just to see what was going on, but he didn't have any reason to, and didn't know the people who would be there this time of night well enough to chat with them when he got there.

Instead, when he found himself by one of the exit doors, he went outside. He liked being outside, and the night always gave him some peace. Even in the city, when it was never the _quiet_ of the night, or the _darkness_ of the night, since it was never dark, and never silent. He saw a picnic table overlooking the portion of land that meandered toward the river in the near distance and walked over to sit on the table instead of the bench, shivering just a little and thinking that he would have been better off with a sweatshirt than a t-shirt.

At least it wasn't raining.

He'd been sitting less than a minute when a tingle – magical _and_ internal – made him aware that he wasn't alone any longer, and he looked up when Doctor Strange walked over to the table. Even with just the light from the spotlight nearby, Peter could see the concern in Strange's intense gaze, but he also saw it fade noticeably. Probably thought he'd been _sleepwalking_ , he decided.

"You okay?" Strange asked.

With Tony down, Friday had been directed that Pepper was the one to receive any alert if Peter left the compound interior, or went near the swimming pool. When Pepper had been told that the boy had gone outside, Strange had volunteered to go check on him. It was getting late, and he was getting ready to head to the sanctum, but there was nothing pressing that needed done there, and Pepper was looking a little tired, herself, lately.

Of course, she'd been keeping up with Tony and his illness, regularly checking on Natasha, and her, Steve and Clint had been rounding up Peter fairly often, lately, with the sleepwalking thing. Not to mention actually trying to get some work done in her dwindling spare time.

He was relieved to see that the boy wasn't sleepwalking. He just looked a bit edgy, and he nodded, confirming that.

"Yeah. Just not ready to go to sleep, yet."

"Did you see Natasha?"

"Yeah. She's asleep."

He suddenly had a sweatshirt on over the t-shirt he'd been wearing, and Strange sat down beside him, the table more than big enough for the two of them - although he did sit close enough that he'd be able to feel if Peter was shivering.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Whatever's bothering you."

Peter shook his head, and shrugged.

"That's just it… I don't know what it is."

"Your spider senses? A warning about something that is going to happen?"

"No. I don't think so. This… whatever… it's not like that. Nothing bad is coming – at least, I'm not getting any edgy vibe that there's danger looming."

"What do you _think_ it is, then?"

"I don't know. Maybe that there's someplace I need to _be_ , or something I need to be _doing_."

"As Peter Parker? Or as Spiderman?"

"I'm not doing much as either, right now. Just hiding out, waiting for the world to tell me what to do, and where to be."

"You feel like you're hiding?"

"I _am_ hiding, Doctor Strange." He gestured to the facility behind him. "Aside from Ned, everyone that cares about me is in that building."

"Or sitting beside you," Strange pointed out.

Which made Peter feel a pang of something that was a lot stronger than mere fondness. He smiled at that, and accepted the correction.

"But I should be back in school, or out trying to save the world – _Queens_ , anyway – and I'm _not_. I'm hiding from those things, right now, and I shouldn't be allowed to, I don't think. I should be getting pushed back out into the world, as shitty as it is right now, and not sleeping all protected in the arms of a beautiful spy one night, and _Ironman's_ bed the next. Other people don't have the luxury of being able to do that. Why should I?"

"You think you're ready to go back to school?"

"No. But I _should_ , anyway."

"Then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what will going to school right now, when you obviously aren't ready – _yet_ – to face everything that it entails, help? At _best_ , you get through the day without really learning anything, because you're so preoccupied by your hurts and grief – we won't even mention the cold – and that wastes not only your time, but that of the teachers. At worst, you break down crying in the middle of a class – or the lunchroom – and someone has to come get you and bring you home.

"Then you feel like you've failed, because you _did_. You set yourself up for failure by not allowing yourself the time you need to be ready to face all of it again, and you didn't allow those who care about you to help prepare you to face the world again – shitty as it can be, sometimes."

"It's still hiding."

"Of course it is, Peter. There's nothing _wrong_ with that, though. The world is a big, bleak and scary place. And not just for a fifteen year old who has had to deal with some very terrible things, lately. Don't be so quick to rejoin it. Use the time you're being given by those who care about you – and they _do_ love you, you know? – to regroup, and prepare for whatever may come your way next. Good or bad."

"You think?"

"It was a pretty long lecture," Strange told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "While I _do_ love to hear myself speak sometimes, I'm not fond of lectures, so I must believe it."

Peter smiled at that.

"How do I know when it's time to stop hiding?"

"I don't know. Maybe your spider senses will tell you. Maybe you'll just know."

They sat quietly then, each lost in his own thoughts and comfortable enough with the other that they didn't need to fill the silence with needless chatter, but finally Strange shivered and slapped the boy's shoulder.

"We should go in. Pepper will be worried about you."

"Yeah."

They got up and started for the door.

"This is a pretty good place to hide for a while, you know?" Strange told him, ready to lighten the mood a little. "Fresh air, and good scenery…"

"The company is good."

"The food is, too," the doctor pointed out. "Even better, _you_ aren't cooking it."

"Or Tony."

"True." He held the door for Peter. "Let's go check in with Pepper, and then send her to bed, okay? You could probably use some sleep, too."

"True." Peter smiled. "Maybe I'll go cuddle up next to Natasha," he said, giving Strange a sideways glance that held a hint of his usual good humor. Something he felt he had lost days ago. "Unless you'd rather I saved that spot for _you_ …?"

Stephen snorted, and cuffed the boy, affectionately.

"Smart ass."

But, yeah.


	39. Chapter 39

They stopped at Natasha's room so Strange could check on her before he left for the night. Peter watched from the doorway as the doctor rested a hand on her forehead and then ran it along her cheek. Romanoff stirred at the touch, but he murmured something softly to her and she stilled, probably never awake anyway, but asleep again before he pulled her blankets up and tucked them around her, warmly. Then the mug on the nightstand filled itself and he straightened up and turned toward the door.

"She's fine."

Peter nodded, following him as they left Natasha's quarters and headed for the lounge.

"She wasn't coughing so much today," Peter noted as they walked down the corridor.

"Yes. I think she's over the worst of the cough, and that will make it easier for her to sleep. Presuming we can keep her in bed once she starts feeling better. That's probably going to be _your_ job, since she listens to you more than she will probably listen to me."

"You're a _doctor_."

"And she's a strong-willed woman, who is used to doing whatever she thinks is best," he replied with a sardonic smile. "Luckily, she also loves you. Which means that if you cuddle up next to her needing to be held, she'll do it – and then almost certainly fall asleep doing so."

And if Peter fell asleep, too, it was all to the good, as far as Strange was concerned.

Peter looked skeptical.

"That sounds a little _sneaky_."

"It _is_. But if it gets her out of bed and on her feet sooner, then I'm willing – if you are?"

"Yeah."

They walked into the lounge and saw Pepper sitting on one of the sofas. She smiled at the two of them and set her laptop aside when they walked over.

"Everything okay?"

"We're fine," Strange told her, sitting beside her.

Peter nodded his agreement, sitting himself on the other side of her.

"We just checked on Natasha."

"And?"

"She's sleeping."

Pepper smiled, reaching out and touching his cheek.

"How do you feel?"

"Better, thanks."

"I've been meaning to ask you… What do you want to do for your birthday? I know it's coming up, but we haven't had much chance to talk about it, really. Tony was going to sound you out and see what kind of party you wanted, but with everyone being sick…"

"Yeah…" Peter shrugged. "I don't really need a _party_ , you know? Maybe a cake, though?"

"Don't be so hasty," she told him. "Sixteen. Should be a _big_ deal."

"Ned should come, at least," Strange pointed out.

"Yeah. But nothing big," Peter said. "Just you guys and Ned…"

He wasn't sure how to tell them that he really didn't have all _that_ many friends, and didn't really want to have a big party. May's birthday party had been so amazing, he didn't want to be thinking about hers while having his own.

Pepper seemed to understand, though. Her expression softened, and she nodded.

"Anything in particular on the birthday present wish list?"

"Driver's license," he said, instantly.

"Then a few lessons beforehand," Stephen stated with a wink. "I've _seen_ you drive."

Peter nodded his acceptance of that.

"True."

"Tony can handle that," Pepper said, smiling. "He'll probably _insist_."

And would love every moment of it, she was sure.

Peter looked at Strange.

"Not _Uncle Stephen_ …?"

There was a long moment of silence. Pepper's smile widened, and Strange's expression was blank for just a minute, and then he shook his head, obviously amused and trying to hide it around a stern expression.

"Tony put you up to that, didn't he?"

"He _might_ have, yeah."

Two digs in less than an hour. Peter was on a roll.

OOOOOOOO

It wasn't long after that Peter went to bed. For one thing, he was tired. For another, he was probably pushing his luck with Doctor Strange. The man was a good guy and Peter _liked_ him – a lot, but he probably wouldn't put up with too much, for too long, not even from him. And Peter wouldn't have blamed him for tossing him through a window or something.

But the look had been priceless, and even now he smiled thinking about it. The only thing that could have made it better was if Mr. Stark – _Tony_ – would have been there to see it.

He hesitated when he headed for his own bed. Being cuddled was something he knew he was too old for, but was pretty well addicted to by now. He knew Natasha wouldn't care if he joined her – and he had no idea why she was so willing to indulge him – but he knew it was one of those things that Dr. Strange mentioned that would get him through the tough time easier.

He decided to just sleep in his own bed, though. He didn't want to wake her up, and he knew he probably would, no matter how stealthy he was.

Instead, he went to bed, scowling when a mug appeared on his nightstand that hadn't been there a few minutes before, with more of Wong's brew in it. He debated getting out of bed and carrying the mug to the window, opening it and dumping the contents out. He felt better. He didn't need more of that. But, he was in bed, now, and too lazy to get up.

He drank it down, turned off his light and went to sleep.

OOOOOO

Tony woke when Pepper joined him in their bed. He reached unerringly for her even in the dark, and she nestled close to him, although her greeting wasn't the kiss that he _preferred_ ; rather, she pressed a kiss against his forehead.

"Everything okay?" he asked, sleepily.

"Yes."

"Peter?"

"He's fine. Probably in bed by now."

" _His_ bed?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Probably Natasha's."

"Okay."

He knew he was safe, then. That was all that mattered.

"I asked him about his birthday," Pepper told him, resting her head against his chest.

"Big party? Clown? Bouncy house? Face painting?"

"No. None of the above. He wants a cake, and his driver's license."

Tony frowned.

"No _party_?"

"He says no."

"But it's his sixteenth birthday. It's a _big deal_."

"And the last party he went to was _May's_ ," she reminded him. "I think we're better off doing something low key with him. Just a few of us – and Ned."

"I'll ask him."

"And you'll teach him to drive?"

"Yeah. That will be fun."

He meant it, too.

She put her arm around him.

"What did you promise him if he called Stephen _Uncle Stephen_?"

Tony smiled, surprised.

"Did he?"

"Yes."

"Tell me you got a picture."

"No. But the look on his face was priceless."

"I wish I'd seen it. Maybe he'll do it again."

"Don't count on it."

He rested his chin on her head and closed his eyes. He'd figure something out.

"I need you to get me some cash," he told her. But he fell asleep before he told her how much he needed. She shook her head and went to sleep, too.

OOOOOOOOO

" _I can't wait for your 16_ _th_ _birthday…"_

 _Peter smiled, picking at the noodles on his plate, trying to separate the asparagus from the broccoli._

" _Why?"_

" _It's a surprise."_

" _Come on, May. Tell me."_

" _Nope."_

 _Her smile was amused and filled with anticipation._

" _Come on. It's not that far away."_

" _All the more reason to let you wait and enjoy the surprise."_

" _I hate surprises."_

" _I know. Sorry."_

 _She didn't look like she was at all sorry that he was going to have to wait, though, and he smiled, just happy that she was happy._

 _God, he missed seeing her smile._

He opened his eyes when he felt her slide under his blankets, surprised.

"Natasha?"

Romanoff nodded, and snuggled up against him, her hand resting on his stomach, her cheek on his chest. Peter put his arms around her, holding her against him. The sudden sorrow of the dream eased with her very touch, and he closed his eyes again, grateful to her for being there, and wondering how she'd even known he needed the support.

"You didn't come to bed…"

"I didn't want to wake you."

"Keeps me awake when I worry about you."

"I'm okay." He was, now, anyway. Peter pressed a kiss against the top of her head. "Go to sleep."

"Okay…"

She coughed once, and then was still, and he went back to sleep, once again safe and protected.


	40. Chapter 40

_A/N: 40 chapters! I didn't think it would go so long, but it writes itself, sometimes. In response to a lot of questions to me (in PM and review) about them, they almost certainly will hook up soon, I'm just debating how detailed that particular scene will be. Thanks for reading!_

OOOOOOOO

It was four days before Strange considered letting Natasha and Tony out of bed – and even then, they were put on restrictive schedules. Meaning no missions, nothing too active and a fair amount of sitting around getting their stamina back.

They weren't the only ones catching their breath.

Strange and Pepper had both managed to avoid catching the cold as it went through the compound. Not surprisingly, Steve hadn't caught it, either. Hawkeye did, though, and Bruce was sidelined for a day or two with a milder version of it. Several others also were down with it for a few days, as well, before everyone started getting better.

Between keeping Stark in his bed until he was healthy enough not to risk a renewal of the illness and making sure that the others were drinking Wong's tonic and getting all the bedrest that Doctor Strange insisted on, the healthy ones were running ragged.

Peter was spared a bit, since Natasha reacted exactly as Strange had expected and wanted out of bed immediately. The doctor had been right about the best way to get her the rest she needed, and much of those four days were spent with Peter asleep beside her. He'd simply wordlessly settle next to her if she started getting restless, and in minutes they'd both be asleep. In bed, or on a sofa in one of their rooms, and once on a sunny day bundled in blankets in lounger chairs out on the edge of the field, just to get some fresh air.

Wen Pepper had mentioned her amazement, Strange had simply smiled and muttered something about oxytocin. Which had sent Pepper immediately to google to find out what he was talking about.

Whatever the reason, all the down time spent with Romanoff left Peter far healthier than he might have been without all the sleep, and Natasha out of bed a day sooner than Stark, who grumbled the entire time.

Finally, though, even Ironman was able to leave his bed and join the group for breakfast in the lounge one sunny Saturday morning. The occasion was a bit marred by the intense looks Stephen would give him every now and then, as if making sure he wasn't overdoing it, and the fact that every time Pepper or Peter looked at him, they tended to put a hand on his forehead as if being upright was going to shock his system right back to his sickbed.

Even the Cloak of Levitation reached out from its position draped over Peter's shoulder to brush a corner of fabric along his forehead – which made everyone smile but Stark, who rolled his eyes, pretending to be a lot more annoyed than he really was.

"I'm fine," he told Peter, scowling, when the boy checked for a renewed fever the third time. "Ask Stephen."

Strange shrugged.

"He's better."

"Which means _fine_ in doctor speak," Stark assured him, making Romanoff smile. He looked at his watch, which was displaying a message. "Did you get enough to eat?"

"What?" Peter looked at his plate, distracted from his hovering, and then nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Good. Pepper and I have a meeting this morning that I absolutely cannot get out of. Tonight we are going to barbeque in the field since there won't be many more nice evenings for it before winter comes."

"Okay." Peter glanced at Strange, who just shook his head and gave Stark a look of long suffering.

Obviously the doctor wasn't looking forward to barbequing, but _that_ might have been the whole reason for Tony to schedule one.

"Tomorrow we have an appointment at the bank," Pepper told him. "And by _we_ , I mean the three of us."

"We do?"

"They need you to sign off on that safe deposit box so they can get the paperwork all reassigned," Tony told him. "You don't have to open it if you don't want to, but you have to be there in person so they can finish out all the legalities. We picked a Sunday to keep from having to deal with any crowds at the bank."

Especially those who would just be interested just by the fact that Tony Stark was there. _He_ didn't mind the press of a crowd, but he and Pepper would do what they could to shield Peter from that notoriety for as long as they could.

"Okay." Peter was still hesitant about the safe deposit box, uncertain what possibly could be in it. It didn't seem like it could be anything _bad_ , of course, but maybe something he didn't want to know about?

"Today, though, _you're_ going to be busy."

"Doing what?"

Tony looked at Pepper.

"You didn't tell him?"

"Tell me what?" Peter asked.

"I must have forgotten," she said, her expression amused.

'Tell me what?" Peter asked, again.

"You have company," Stark told him, looking toward the entrance to the lounge.

Everyone else followed his gaze, just in time to see Ned and a girl that none of them had met walking through the entrance. Ned was gesturing, obviously telling the girl about the compound, and she was looking around with interest.

Peter stood up, surprised.

"Who's that?" Natasha asked, amused at the way Peter blushed, and then paled, and then blushed again.

Peter felt a surge of irritation, and annoyance and then grumbling in his mind and realized that it was the cloak reacting to yet another stranger that it would have to play blanket around. Before he could answer Natasha, or apologize to the cloak, Ned and the girl had reached the corner table.

"Hey, Mr. Stark," Ned said, with a grin, obviously pleased to be able to drop that name in a sentence.

"What are you guys doing here?" Peter asked.

"We're here to help," Ned told him. "We-"

"Peter," Strange interrupted, smoothly. "Aren't you going to introduce your friend?"

"What? Oh. Yeah." He looked over at her, and she rolled her eyes. "This is Michelle. _Jones_. A friend of mine from school."

"She's a friend of _mine_ , too," Ned told them.

"You can call me MJ," she told the group.

Pepper smiled and offered the girl her hand.

"It's lovely to meet you. Have you guys eaten?"

"Happy stopped at Sonic," Ned told her, nudging Peter, who was still frozen. "We had breakfast burritos."

"What… what did you mean you're here to help…?" Peter asked, looking confused.

Which made all of the adults at the table smile. They'd seen him in a lot of situations, but this one was by the far the most fun for them.

"Dude, you're so _behind_ ," Ned told him. "We brought your homework – and we're going to help you power through some of it today, so you don't get overwhelmed and freak out."

"Homework?"

He hadn't even thought of that. He _had_ to be so behind. What was he thinking, not-

"Yes, _homework_ ," Tony said, recognizing the signs of panic in Peter's expression and holding up a hand to stop him from getting himself worked up – which he knew would happen. "But before you even think about starting it – and you have plenty of time to get it done – why don't you and Ned show MJ here around the compound?"

"What?"

"Give her a tour, Peter," Pepper said, smiling.

"Stay out of the pool," Stark told them, automatically.

"MJ's on the _swim team_ ," Ned assured Tony. "She's not going to fall in and drown."

The girl looked at Peter, obviously waiting for him to invite her on the tour he was being told to give her, and he paled again.

"Uh. Yeah. Um…" he looked around. "This is the lounge."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Show her the _rest_ of the facility," he suggested. "Just stay out of trouble."

"Okay. Yeah."

With the cloak still over his shoulder, Peter led MJ and Ned out of the lounge, and they all watched them leave.

"She's cute," Natasha said, still amused at Peter's discomfiture.

"And according to Ned, very bright," Pepper said, pleased that they'd surprised Peter and had given him a chance to spend some time with his friends, rather than babysitting a bunch of sick adults.

"He'd know," Strange agreed. He looked at Tony. "You might want to help him work on his delivery. He's fairly awkward."

"He's _fifteen_ ," Stark reminded him. "He's supposed to be awkward."

Romanoff smiled.

"He's had the talk?"

"Tab A into Slot B," Tony confirmed, and then he shrugged. "But it might not be a bad idea to give him a refresher. We don't want any shenanigans… May wouldn't be pleased."

"Have fun with that," Strange told him, wondering how he could be a fly on the wall for that particular conversation.

"You don't think it's a job for Uncle Stephen?" Tony asked.

"Nope."

"You're a _doctor_."

"Yes. And luckily I'm not in any danger of becoming a _grandpa_ any time soon."

Romanoff snorted, and Pepper looked over at Tony.

"Yes. A refresher conversation might not be a bad idea. Take care of that, okay?"

"Yes, dear."

"Thank you."

She was much too young to worry about grandkids.


	41. Chapter 41

They had barely walked out of the lounge when she spoke.

"What is that on your shoulder?"

Peter followed MJ's gaze to the cloak, which was hanging limply, but grumbling in his mind.

"It's a cloak," he told her. "It's Doctor Strange's…"

"Let her _see_ , Peter," Ned said, grinning. "She's not going to freak out."

"You think?"

"Sure."

"See what?" MJ asked.

Peter shrugged, and touched the cloak. "Go ahead."

The grumbling turned into a question in his mind, as if it were asking if he was sure.

"Go ahead, it's okay."

Immediately the cloak came to life, wrapping itself around Peter's shoulders and neck, brushing a corner against his cheek before seeming to orient itself on MJ – who was staring.

"The hell?"

"It's _magic_ ," Ned told her. "Look at this."

He held his hand up, palm toward the cloak and it slapped his hand in a classic high-five.

"A magic carpet?"

"It's a _cloak_ ," Peter told her – again.

"What does it do?"

"It's a magical relic," Peter said. "It's complicated, but it usually just hangs out with me when Dr. Strange is around."

"Dr. Strange was one of the guys at the table. He's –"

" _He's_ the one that saved my life when I had that nutmeg thing," Peter interrupted. It wasn't really Ned's place to tell anyone what Dr. Strange could do. Luckily, Ned figured that out, too.

"The cloak will protect Peter, too," Ned said. "If you try to hit him or something…"

MJ frowned.

"Why would someone try to hit you?"

"They wouldn't. But he's right; it's pretty protective."

"It's got a crush on Peter," Ned told her.

"Come on," Peter said, turning and heading for the end of the corridor – and the stairs. "Let's show you the jet."

OOOOO

She wasn't quite as impressed with the jet as Peter and Ned were. Even when Peter opened it up and let her walked up the ramp and take a look at the inside.

Ned, however, was extremely excited when Peter told him offhandedly that he'd actually been allowed to fly it the other day.

They showed her the pool, the empty labs – which _did_ interest her – and then they swung by the control center, where Steve happened to be looking over some recordings. MJ blushed a brilliant shade of red when Peter introduced them, pleased that he knew someone that she was so excited to meet – although she tried to hide it. Steve was great, talking up Peter to her until the boy was almost as red as MJ was.

They left, telling Steve they'd let him get back to work and would see him at the barbeque, and then Peter and Ned took her back to his quarters, where a stack of homework was waiting on his coffee table, courtesy of Happy, who had delivered it when he'd dropped Ned and MJ at the door.

"This is _yours_?" she asked, looking around, clearly impressed.

Peter shrugged.

"Yeah. I mean, mine to _use_. I don't own the building or anything."

"You think _this_ is nice," Ned said, flopping down on his sofa. "You should see the rooms he has in the _tower_. The computer system is sweet – _and_ he has a pinball machine."

MJ gave Peter a look that told him that she knew very well that he'd rather be home with May than have a fancy set of quarters in the tower, but she didn't say it, and he appreciated it. He didn't want to talk about anything like that just then. She went into his bedroom, looking out the window and then in the fridge.

"You have _beer_?"

He shook his head, smiling.

"No. Uh, I mean. No. It's _Tony's_. He keeps it cold there in case we do a movie or something."

"Me and Peter split one, once," Ned told her from the living room where he'd already started up the game system.

"Did you?"

Peter nodded, trying to ignore the cloak, which had started caressing his ear.

"Yeah. Once."

"Can I touch that thing?" she asked him, distracted from the beer by the cloak's movement.

"Do you mind?" Peter asked the cloak, directly .

"It talks to you?"

"No. I can kind of feel what it is thinking, yes or no. It's kind of complicated."

"Can I?"

"It says yes."

MJ reached out and touched a corner of the cloth, curiously, and Peter could tell that it wasn't sure if it liked being touched by her or not.

"Where's it from?"

"We don't know. Space?"

"Really?"

"Probably."

She let the cloak go and looked out the window again.

"I need a Stark Internship…"

Peter smiled at that, knowing she didn't mean for him to get him one, just that she was impressed. He walked into the living room and she followed.

"What kind of homework did you bring?"

"Math, Science, English."

Ned tossed the controller he was using to the side, turning off the game system.

"We'll help you get through it, though. I was told to tell you that you don't need to show any work – to save time."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

OOOOOOOOO

Peter worked on his homework the rest of that morning. Ned sat on one side, feeding him answers to everything that he did – no matter what the subject. It was like using the Mind stone, only if it were a lot more vocal. MJ sat on the other side of him, but she was more infatuated with the cloak than she was with helping Peter, reaching out and touching it, and doing high fives with it just for the novelty of the whole thing.

She gave him answers sometimes, but homework was boring compared to a living piece of fabric – even if it never left Peter's shoulder.

He didn't mind, since he understood completely.

His watch chimed a little after one.

" _Peter?"_

"Yeah?"

Ned and MJ looked impressed, he just shrugged. The watches were cool, but they really were the least of the cool stuff he was working with.

 _"What are you doing?"_

"Homework."

" _Come eat lunch – we're in the lounge."_

"Okay."

More than willing to stop doing homework, they left the lounge and MJ kept trying to coax the cloak to her shoulder while they walked. It didn't exactly ignore her, but it clearly wasn't interested in leaving Peter. She didn't give up, though, and Peter felt amusement from the relic and knew that it wasn't annoyed by her attentions. It just wasn't interested.

They joined Stark, Pepper, Stephen and Natasha in the corner table – which had another table pushed against it to give them extra room for everyone. This time when they sat down, Peter introduced MJ to everyone, and the cloak flipped itself from Peter's shoulder to Dr. Strange's, clearly ready for a little more maturity in the people it hung out with – at least for a while.

Tony looked over at Peter, a little surprised when the girl didn't freak out – which told them all that the cloak hadn't bothered to hide its capabilities.

He understood the look, and shrugged.

"What did you guys do?" Natasha asked.

Ned started telling them where they had gone, what they had shown MJ and then all about the homework they were working on. While Ned engaged the others – including MJ – Tony turned his attention to Peter, looking for any signs that he was stressing over the homework.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Ned's helping me."

"You're not panicking, right?"

"No. I'm okay."

"Take a break after lunch, okay? They're going to start setting up the barbeque activities – maybe you can show off your football skills or something."

He glanced at MJ, and Peter followed his gaze, and reddened, and nodded.

"Yeah. Um, okay."

Or something.

Stark smiled.

He was so glad he wasn't fifteen again.


	42. Chapter 42

_A/N: Sorry about the lack of a morning chapter like I normally do. Had a CT scan on my ankle today instead, and no time to write. (Photo can be seen on my twitter if you're interested)_

OOOOOO

"That Dr. Strange is pretty _intense_."

Peter nodded his agreement, walking down the corridor between MJ and Ned after lunch.

"Probably all part of being a doctor. It's a pretty intense job, I imagine."

He tossed Ned a look that told him to not even mention magic just then. MJ didn't notice.

"What kind of doctor is he?"

"Brain surgeon."

"That probably explains it." They passed a window and she stopped, looking outside and at the field below. "Mr. Stark was right; they're setting up. We should go help them."

Peter shrugged.

"Okay."

They probably wouldn't be that much help, really, and he was pretty sure that her sudden desire to assist in the barbeque set up almost certainly had an alternative motive. After all, Steve Rogers was down in the middle of it all. He didn't mind, though. It was a good distraction – which he could always use, lately – and he was glad she was having a good time.

OOOOOOO

Peter was sitting at a table that he'd just set up, on one of five folding chairs that he'd just placed around that table, watching as Ned and MJ helped Steve set up one of the barbeques that would be used for cooking dinner. A hand brushed his shoulder as Natasha and Dr. Strange joined him, sitting beside him. The cloak _had_ been hanging from Stephen's collar, but transferred to Peter's shoulder only moments after they sat down.

Both followed his gaze.

"She's cute," Natasha told him, smiling.

"What? Oh. Yeah. I mean, no. I mean… I hadn't _noticed_."

"We _noticed_ you not noticing," Strange told him, dryly.

There was a plume of smoke and fire from the barbeque as Ned started it, and Steve, MJ and Ned all jumped back.

"If he's not careful he'll lose his eyebrows," Natasha said.

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"Really?"

"Freshman chemistry," the boy confirmed. "Took months to grow back."

"I did that once, too," Stephen told them. "In eighth grade. Ruined my yearbook photo."

That made both of them smile.

"You should tell Ned that story," Peter said. "He'd like it, I bet."

"I'll think about it." As long as Stark wasn't around to hear it. "Wong is going to London tomorrow, so I won't be here – just so you know. If you need me, though, you can call."

"Are you going with him?" Romanoff asked.

"No. I'll be guarding the sanctum. We don't leave it empty any more than necessary. There are far too many things in it that can cause far too many difficulties if the wrong person somehow managed to break in and steal them."

"Has that happened?" Peter asked, curiously.

"A few times. Not recently, though."

"What's Wong going to London for?"

"He wants to bring a couple of artifacts over for the project he's working on."

"What project?" Natasha asked. "Or is it super secret _wizard_ stuff?"

" _Master of the Mystic Arts_ ," he chided, reaching out and tapping her on the nose as if to scold her, knowing that _she_ knew full well that he really preferred to be called anything but a _wizard_. "Peter's going to see if he can connect to some of our more mysterious relics and learn more about them for us. Like he did with the cloak."

She smiled, always enjoying any opportunity to tease him, and looked at the cloak, which was caressing Peter's ear.

"Is that _safe_?"

Strange nodded.

"It _should_ be. He's already proven that he can tell the innate polarity of an item just by feel – presumably with his spider senses. If it feels wrong to him, we'll know better than to let him close to it, and we'll move onto the next one."

"That's a lot of faith to put on those senses of his."

"Not really," Peter told her. "I do a lot of the web slinging and swinging with those senses, too. Where to aim, which direction to go, that kind of thing. I'm pretty good at feeling them out."

She shrugged, and didn't mention that they'd been skunked once because he hadn't known what he was being warned about. Of course, she could also open them up to using that same argument, since he'd known long before the skunk had shown up that they had needed to _go_ ; it had been _her_ hesitation that proved what the danger really had been. Peter had known a problem was coming, and had wanted to go.

" _Tony_ knows?"

Strange nodded.

"Of course."

Then she didn't have any argument to stand on. He was probably more protective of Peter than she was, so if he was on board, she couldn't use him to bolster any hesitation she might have.

OOOOOOOOOO

The barbeque was a good time. They always were. Not just for Peter and his friends, but for all the adults – with the possible exception of Stephen Strange, who preferred to eat his dinner under a roof, after having it cooked inside where bugs probably weren't falling into the sauce or crawling over the cooing surfaces.

Peter hadn't really been planning on doing anything too physical, really. He felt okay – and his ability to recuperate was incredible, so he was as healthy as he _felt_ – but he didn't really feel up to doing much more than sitting around and watching the activities around them.

The guys that he normally played football with didn't know that, though, and Ned and MJ both stared when a couple of big, burly guys trotted over and pretty much picked him up and told him that they needed a running back. Ned followed them, unwilling to be left out of the fun – although his football skills were nothing compared to his mental capabilities.

MJ shook her head when Peter gestured for her to join them and watched as Steve Rogers explained to Ned what he needed to do to fit in with the game.

"Not a footballer?" Romanoff asked.

The girl shook her head.

"I have older brothers, so I know how, but it's not my thing."

"Understandable," Strange said.

"I didn't know it was _Peter's_ thing, either," MJ told them, looking slightly confused, watching as Peter was handed the ball and was promptly dogpiled by a few guys on the other team.

"He's learning," Tony said.

She had to agree. Of course, he was playing on _Captain America's_ team, after all. How could he be anything but good with that kind of mentoring?

OOOOOOOO

It was well after dark when Peter walked Ned and MJ out to the car. The barbeque was winding down and it was late enough that they needed to get the kids home. Filled with good food and flush from spending an evening with the _Avengers_ , Peter's friends had a million new pictures on their phones to share with the kids at school – including some shots with Stark, who had activated the Ironman suit for photos with MJ and Steve Rogers.

Ned already had multiple shots with both – and the others – but he'd photobombed a few of those pictures with MJ as well.

Happy was waiting to take them back home – although Ned had already made arrangements to be invited to spend a weekend coming up at the compound or the tower. Depending on where Peter was at the time. He might have stayed overnight then, but Peter had the appointment at the bank with Tony and Pepper, so his visit could wait.

"I had a good time," MJ said as they stopped by the back door of the car, which Happy had opened for them. "Thanks for showing me around."

"Thanks for coming," he told her, still looking and feeling a bit awkward, earning him a smirk from Happy – which made him smile self-consciously. "You can come again, some time, you know. If you want to, I mean."

"I will. Call me, okay?"

She got into the car, smiling a thank you to Happy for holding the door for her.

"If you need any help with your homework call _me_ ," Ned told him, also thanking Happy.

"Thanks, Ned. See you later."

"Yeah."

Peter watched them while Happy got in the car and then drove off, feeling better for having had the company that he'd had.

He turned back to the building, and saw that Tony was waiting for him at the door. Peter went over and smiled when Stark put a hand on his shoulder.

"Did you have a good day?"

"Yeah," he said, sincerely. "Thanks."

"You're _welcome_." Tony gave him a sly look. "Is it safe to assume we can invite her to your birthday party?"

Peter blushed, but nodded.

"Yeah."


	43. Chapter 43

Tony drove Pepper and Peter into the city the next morning for their appointment at the bank. The traffic was light and he made sure they left in plenty of time to avoid feeling rushed. Peter sat in the back seat, leaning against the window and watching the scenery go by, but was silent for most of the drive. Stark watched him in the rearview mirror, easily reading the worry and uncertainty in the boy's expression, but not completely sure what it was that was bothering him.

"You okay?" he asked when they reached the bank and pulled into the parking area, which was mostly deserted – although a security guard was close at hand to keep unauthorized people from parking there, even on the weekend.

Peter nodded, brought out of his inner musing by the worry he could hear in Toy's voice and see in his expression. Pepper looked worried, too, and he flashed her a forced smile that was more like a grimace.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Don't be," Stark told him. "Just _relax_ , all right? Nothing bad is going to happen. We're right here."

As if to enforce that, he walked on Peter's right side, and Pepper automatically took the left side, flanking him as they went to the door – and were immediately met by a couple of bank executives. People who would never have dreamed of coming in on a _Sunday_ if not for the fact that it was Tony Stark they were meeting with and there was no way they'd trust this kind of meeting to an underling.

There were the usual greetings as the executives opened the door for them and then held it and ushered them down into the bowels of the bank itself. They stopped in a secured room and sat Peter down and explained what a safe deposit box was, and how the one that his aunt had set up worked, allowing only him to have access to it once she'd filled out the paperwork.

"Yours was setup nine years ago," one of them told Peter. "And according to our records, it hasn't been opened since."

"We can take you to the vault," the other offered. "If you want to see it."

Peter hesitated, looking at Tony.

"It's up to _you_ , Peter," he told the boy. "No one is going to make you."

He nodded. Wondering why he was so worried. He knew May wasn't going to put anything aside for him that would distress him. He decided that he was afraid that whatever it was would be something that would rip away what little scab of healing he had managed since her death and funeral and reopen that awful grief that had been so horrible.

"Okay."

They left the room. One of the executives led the three of them to a vault that had a table with a couple of chairs off to one side. Peter was told to sit, and Pepper and Tony once more flanked him as he did. Then the man took a special key, double checked his record, and pulled a small box from a wall of hundreds of other small boxes that were locked into a special grid.

Then he carried the box to the table, had Peter sign a paper and excused himself, leaving the three of them alone with the unopened box.

OOOOOOOOO

Stephen Strange was sitting in the lower library, looking through an old book – which pretty much described every book in the library, truth be told. He wasn't really doing _research_ ; he just loved being surrounded by the books, and reading them. It was a quiet and relaxing way to while away a Sunday.

It was a spell that broke his concentration. The perimeter of the entire place had a motion detection spell. Not along the sidewalk area – in their area, it would have been triggered at all hours of the day and night and would have driven Strange and Wong crazy. Instead it was set against any entrances. If someone – or something – breached the very edge of that spell, it would alert the people in the sanctum that someone was close.

But it could be ignored, in case it was simply someone sheltering from a sudden rainstorm in the doorway, or something like that.

If someone was outside wanting to get their attention beyond that, they could knock. And even a building as epic and remarkable as the sanctum still possessed that most mundane of all home necessities – at least, when it came to a building the size of the sanctum – a _doorbell_.

In this case, the spell's alert pulled Strange from his reading, and when it was immediately followed by the gentle chime that signaled someone had pressed the doorbell, he got up and left the library, wondering who it was – and sort of hoping it was an enterprising Girl Scout, because he could use a box of caramel delites.

The Cloak of Levitation came swooping through the air, slipping into its place on his collar just as he opened the door. He was pleasantly surprised to find Natasha Romanoff standing outside the door, and he smiled – although _now_ he was really craving some Girl Scout cookies.

"Natasha. What are you doing here? Is everything all right?"

She nodded, hands tucked into her jacket pockets against a sudden gust of chilly wind and flashed him an easy smile.

"Everything's fine, Stephen. Everyone's gone, though – or busy – and I was rattling around at the compound, so I thought I'd come and keep you company. Maybe get a tour of the place. You guys keep bragging about just how amazing it is."

"Come in," he told her, moving to the side so she could slip by him.

The cloak greeted her with a gentle caress as she entered the sanctum, and when Strange closed the door it removed itself from his collar and hovered beside him instead.

Romanoff looked around the entrance way, impressed. Peter had tried to describe the place to her, even going so far as trying to sketch it, and Stephen had done a bit better a job by showing her some pictures, but it really did look and feel a lot like a museum. Especially with all of the show cases and items that seemed to be everywhere, all neatly displayed.

"Coffee?"

"Yes. Please."

"Come on, we'll go to the kitchen."

He took her jacket from her, and hung it on a hook that wouldn't have looked out of place in an old Victorian estate from the seventeenth century, and then offered her his arm and walked her to the kitchen.

OOOOOOOO

Peter stared at the box for a long minute.

It was just a little bigger than a shoe box, and a bit longer. All metal and the front looking exactly like the rest of them that he could see along the wall. For having been waiting for him for nine years, there was no dust and when he took a deep breath and opened it, the hinge didn't make a sound as the top opened.

He wasn't the only one to look inside, but Pepper and Tony both waited silently, as he looked at the items that were inside, and pulled them out one by one.

The first was a small manila envelope. About the size of a deck of cards, it was sealed, and he recognized the handwriting on it as May's.

 _Open at 16_

He hefted it in his hand, but it wasn't very heavy, and he looked at Pepper and Stark before handing it to Pepper. It was impossible to tell what was inside, though, and she couldn't even hazard a guess. She handed it to Tony, and watched as Peter pulled another item from the box.

This time it was easy. And a little heartbreaking. A small clear plastic envelope that held three rings. The two women's rings were both gold, with diamonds. One was more elaborate than the other, and Pepper recognized the two as a set. One engagement ring and one wedding ring. The other ring was larger, and was a simple platinum band with a black band along the center of it. This one for a man.

Peter opened this one, and the three rings went into the palm of his hand. None of them were in pristine condition. Aside from a little more wear on the engagement ring, there were small flaws in the soft metal of the gold rings and a scratch on one side of the platinum band. Mute testimony of the final moments of the two that had been wearing them.

"My parents' wedding rings…?" Peter guessed, even though they weren't labeled with anything other than the names of his mother and father.

"I'd say so," Pepper agreed.

Peter put them back into the envelope and set it on the table beside the box.

The next thing he pulled from the box was an odd-shaped key. It had a keychain that had an address, and a unit number, _119_ , but nothing more. Peter frowned and looked at Tony, automatically. He was the tech guy, after all.

"Looks like a storage unit key," he said, softly, answering the question in Peter's expression.

Pepper nodded her agreement to that, and Peter set it down on the table next to his parents' rings. Then he pulled out an old pocket knife and a Zippo lighter with a Marine Corps emblem on the front and an engraving on the back.

 _Col. Jefferson P Parker_

 _Guadalcanal 1944_

Peter was fairly certain that his grandfather's name was Jefferson. The knife and Zippo both went onto the table next to the rest of it.

Finally, underneath those items, Peter pulled out a VHS tape. He didn't recognize the handwriting on the label.

 _Peter Tapes. Volume One_

He looked back in the box, but there weren't any other VHS tapes. Obviously, there was no Volume two or above. He pulled another manila envelope from under the VHS tape, but this one wasn't sealed, and contained a small stack of important, official looking papers. He put them back in the envelope, not interested in going through paperwork just then.

Peter put the rings, the lighter and the pocket knife into his pocket. They were his, and intimate reminders of his parents that he didn't want to have locked away from him. The little envelope that wasn't supposed to be opened until 16 went into his other pocket for later examination, and he looked at Tony once more.

"Do you have a VHS player?"

"We can find one."

"Okay."

His gaze went to the storage unit key. The address was in the city, but he didn't know if Pepper and Tony had other things planned, or if they would mind a detour to see where the key went.

"Do you want to go check it out?" Pepper asked him, gently.

"Can we?"

"Of course."

Stark nodded his agreement.

"Let's go."

OOOOOOOOO

It wasn't a long drive, and Peter was silent during it, looking at the rings in the clear envelope as they made their way through the traffic, following voice commands of the GPS unit that had been given the address on the keychain.

Finally, Tony pulled to a stop in front of a self-storage place, and they parked the car and went into the office since they didn't have a code to get themselves into the security gate. The man in the office recognized Stark immediately, and was obviously thunderstruck to find Ironman in his storage place on an early Sunday afternoon.

He took the key from Peter and typed a few commands into his computer after looking at the keychain, but he had a lot of trouble taking his eyes off Stark.

"It's a ground floor storage unit, Mr. Stark," he told them. "Paid in full for another three years, looks like. Want me to take you to it?"

Tony smiled and shook his head.

"Just point us in the right direction, please."

The man did better than that, letting them through the security gate and then showing them where to walk along the outside of the storage complex, telling them that the one they were looking for was a bigger one that opened into the parking lot rather than into one of the inner corridors.

They walked along the row of tightly closed doors and predictably, 119 was right beside 118.

Stark took the key from Peter and opened the lock holding the rolling door closed. Then he stepped on the small handle to hold it, and tossed the latch back and pulled it up, opening it for the boy – who had never been to a storage unit before and appreciated the assist. They all three looked inside, only the sunny day illuminating the interior of the fair sized storage room.

"Well…"

Inside was a car. What kind of car was a good question, since it was covered with a large drop cloth made of soft canvas. Tony and Peter both went into the storage room, and almost as if they had planned it, Peter went to one side and Stark to the other. Both took hold of the canvas from the rear of the car and pulled it off, toward the front, allowing it to drop in front of Pepper, who whistled.

"Wow."

The car was a rag top convertible. Even in the dull light allowed into the storage unit, it gleamed red and chrome. Peter stepped up to look inside, while Tony stepped back to stand beside Pepper.

"What kind of car is it?" she asked.

Peter looked at Stark, too. He didn't know cars, but he knew that Tony did. The man had a collection of them, after all – although most weren't American muscle cars.

"69 Pontiac Trans am convertible," Tony answered, immediately. "It's a beauty, too. Someone took good care of it."

Peter smiled, still amazed at what he was seeing. He also realized that he'd dreamed about the car – or one very similar to it. He tried the door, but it was locked.

"Check out that envelope," Stark suggested. "The one about opening at 16…"

Peter pulled it from his pocket, opened the manila envelope and sure enough a key slid into his palm. He tried it on the lock and it fit.

"Wow."

Tony and Pepper moved up to stand near the driver's side – Peter had opened the passenger door and was admiring the leather interior.

"I wonder who it belongs to…?" Peter said, sneezing at the dust that had lifted from the canvas being moved after so many years.

"Maybe you ought to watch that tape?" Pepper suggested.

"Yeah."

He locked the car again, and Tony helped him cover it back up. Then they closed the storage until and locked it up, securely.

"We'll go to the tower," Stark told him. "It's closer."

Besides, he didn't think they had a VHS player at the Avenger's compound. There might be one somewhere in mothballs in the tower.


	44. Chapter 44

The sanctum was just as impressive as the others had told her it was.

After warming her up with a cup of coffee and a plate of cookies that had appeared from nowhere, Stephen took Natasha on a tour of the lower floor of the building.

With the cloak still hovering near at hand, she was shown the ground floor library, where they stopped so he could put away the book that he had been reading when she'd arrived. When she showed an interest in the books and scrolls in the room as well as the magical items and relics, Strange pulled a few of them from the shelves and let her leaf through them as long as she wanted. _He_ loved books, too, so he could understand her interest.

He even made sure that one was in _English_ , so she could actually understand what she was looking at – if not the content.

"These are all catalogued?" she asked him, handing one back to him so he could return it to the shelf it belonged on.

"It's not really a formal system for cataloging," he told her. "But if I need a book – or Wong does – we know where to find it."

"That's pretty impressive."

He nodded.

"Don't let him hear you say that. He might dislocate his shoulder trying to pat himself on the back. It's his system."

She smiled at that, and gave him the other books as well.

The cloak wandered off, probably bored. It had followed Peter around when he'd first arrived at the sanctum, but Romanoff wasn't a fifteen year old boy who couldn't help but touch everything he looked at. And she had Strange with her to warn her off if something shouldn't be touched.

Besides, she didn't feel as interesting to the cloak as _Peter_ did, and it had more interesting things to watch up in the other library.

It was obvious Stephen was proud of the place he lived, Natasha decided, as he continued the tour. Even the smallest and most unassuming items were carefully displayed, either in a case, or carefully on a shelf. There was no dust, despite the size of the place, and despite the incredible amount of items she was being shown, it wasn't cluttered.

By the time they'd walked through the first level of the building, she could better understand why he'd want to know more about the many items that he'd admitted to her they just didn't know what it did – and sometimes even what it was _called_.

He took her hand and led her up the imposing staircase that dominated the ground floor entrance area.

"Ready for a break?" he asked her as they reached the second floor and stopped at a closed door.

"Yes."

"So am I."

He opened the door and held it for her as she walked in. Natasha smiled when she realized where they had to be, and she turned, looking up at him. He was watching her with an expression that was as intense as it always was, but in a completely different way.

"Where are we?"

"This is my room."

Her smile widened, telling him everything he needed to know, and she pushed the door closed and reached for him.

OOOOOOOOO

They found a VHS player. It wasn't too difficult. It took a little longer to find the proper connecting cords to get it to play on the ultra high tech displays that were in the lounge area of the tower, but Tony had built an Ironman suit in a cave in the desert. He was up to the task.

"Do you want us to leave you alone?" he asked the boy as he pushed the tape into the player.

Peter shook his head, sitting down on the sofa.

"No."

Pepper sat on one side of him, just close enough to be touching him, and Tony hit the play button on the remote and took the spot on the other side of Peter, his arm along the back of the sofa behind Peter, and his hand brushing Pepper's ear.

The screen went fuzzy for just a moment, and then a man's body blocked the shot for a moment, but it was a woman's voice that they heard, first.

"Support his head."

"I am."

"Do you have him?"

"Yes, dear."

"Don't drop him."

Then the man moved, and they could see a couch in a living room, and the body backed up, showing them what the conversation had been all about. He was holding a baby. A very tiny baby with a shock of dark hair wrapped in a blue blanket. Grinning, the man sat down on the sofa, his arms protectively holding the infant in his arms.

There was no doubt that it was Peter's dad. Tony and Pepper could both see the resemblance the boy sitting between them had to the man on the screen. Same facial structure, same eyes. The man had a neatly trimmed beard – just a little more than a five o'clock shadow – and even through the scruff, Tony could see that same jawline when he turned his head to look at Peter.

" _Peter Benjamin Parker_ …" the man smiled, softly, looking first at the camera and then down at the baby in his arms. "You are adorable, my boy…"

"Richard…"

"Sorry." He looked back up at the camera. "First off, let me apologize for any teasing your friends are going to give you for your first name. _I_ wanted to call you Jack, but I was out voted. Apparently the _cat_ gets a vote in this household, so you might as well get used to it."

There was a feminine snort of laughter from behind the camera, and Richard Parker wasn't the only one to smile. Peter and the two adults beside him also smiled.

"Keep going."

He nodded.

"So. This is the first of many videos I'm going to make with you. And _for_ you. Why, you might ask? Because your mother is _making_ me. That's mommy behind the camera doing all the actual work."

"Just like having a _baby_ ," came an added comment from behind the camera.

Pepper chuckled, and reached for Peter's hand.

"In this case, though, she's right. It's going to be fun, and this way we can keep a video journal of our family. You might want to have it someday to show your own kids. Or maybe just to see what we were like when we were younger, and less annoying than we will be when you're old enough to appreciate your mother's good idea."

Peter's eyes weren't the only ones to fill with tears, and Tony hit the pause button long enough to find him and Pepper a box of tissues. When they could both see again, he hit play.

"So, this is our house. And _you_ are the new addition. In a minute you will meet the cat, who is already coming over to check you out. Don't be nervous, son, your mother and I are new at this, but we've been waiting for you for a long time. We're not going to let the cat eat you."

" _Richard…"_

He smiled, and again Tony could see the boy in the man.

"And we're going to do our best to make sure you know how much we love you. Even when you hate us for embarrassing you – or not letting you go to some party, or listen to your music too loud…"

The screen went dark for a moment, and then picked up again.

This time the sofa was the same, but Richard Parker was wearing different clothing, and the baby that he was holding was a few months older, and sitting upright on his lap – with some help from his father.

"Hey, Peter. Dad, again. Your mother wanted me to tell you that she's very sorry for dropping you into the laundry pile. She _said_ you didn't land on your head, but if it turns out you don't win a _Nobel Prize_ , I'm going to blame her."

He looked down at the baby he was holding and kissed him on the top of his head, and a little hand came up and touched his chin when he did.

"Tell him about the dog," came the same feminine voice from behind the camera.

"Oh, and we got a dog. His name is Spot – although he doesn't have a single spot anywhere on his body. Again, the _cat's_ vote overrode mine and we didn't get to name _him_ Jack, either."

The screen cut out, abruptly, and Tony rested his hand on Peter's head as they waited. A moment later there was a flicker, and they saw the same couch. This time the baby was sitting up on his own, and he was wriggling a little in the strong hands that were holding him. Richard Parker was wearing a dark suit, and looked far more somber than the other video sequences.

"Hey, Peter. Dad here. We just got back from burying your grandpa. He wanted me to tell you that he loves you…" his voice broke and he ducked his head against the baby in his arms. Again, the little hand touched his father's cheek, and Richard sniffled and cleared his throat before continuing, once more looking at the camera. "He loves you, and is proud of you. And so are we."

Pepper wasn't the only one to reach for another tissue.

The next time the camera switched, Richard Parker was smeared with goo, and the baby – who was probably somewhere around a year old or so, was fussing and teary eyed. He, too, was smeared with green goo, and his clothing was a mess.

"Hey, Peter. Dad here. For the record, you don't like peas. It's okay, son, I don't like them, either. But mommy said you have to eat them. You can thank her when you're older that you didn't get scurvy."

The next sequence showed an even happier scene. They were outside, it was a bright sunny day, and Richard was leaning against the car that they had found in the storage unit, with Peter sitting on a blanket on the hood, being held by his father to make sure that he didn't slide off. He was probably 3 years old in the scene and now _he_ looked directly at the camera, too, responding to something the woman off camera was saying.

"Hi, Peter, it's Dad." Richard made an expansive gesture at the car. "This is my car. When I turned 16 your grandpa bought it for me. We fixed it up, added a new paint job and up until you were born, it was my pride and joy. Now, of course, _you_ are. When _you_ turn 16, I'm going to give it to you. Unless I change my _mind_ – which is why your _mother_ is making me say it on video, so I can't."

He grinned at the child he was holding, and brushed his bearded cheek against his son's, making him giggle – which made Pepper and Tony both smile. "We'll teach you to drive in _mommy's_ car, though, just in case you turn out to be bad at it."

The woman filming made another amused noise that made Peter smile, too, and he wordlessly leaned against Pepper, who put her arms around him.

The next scene was different. This time it was the woman holding Peter, who was sitting on her lap. His wrist was in a cast, and she was holding it, carefully. She, too, was dark-haired, with a pageboy cut and the same cast to her features that the boy in her lap had. She smiled at the camera, and they saw Peter's smile when she did.

"Hi, Peter. It's _mommy_ this time. Your father said to tell you that you can't walk Spot any more, and when you do, you can't put the leash in a slipknot around your wrist." She smiled, brushing her hand along his cheek before looking back at the camera. "I always have to be the _bad guy_. We'll work on that."

Peter smiled and looked down at his wrist for a moment before turning back to the display – which was changing again.

This sequence was on the sofa again, and it was Richard holding his son once more. The cast was gone, and Peter was leaned against his father's chest, his hand up and idly brushing Richard's chin and cheek. He was clearly almost asleep, and completely secure in his father's arms.

Tony smiled, his hand ruffling the boy's hair while they watched.

"Hey, Peter. Guess who just beat your mommy and aunt May at cards? Yes, that would be _me_. You're in luck, son, because that will probably show through in the genes and you'll most likely turn out to be a card shark yourself."

The man looked down at the boy in his arms, and brushed a kiss against his forehead before looking back at the camera.

"Whatever you turn out to be, it's going to be amazing. We love you, son."

The video went blank, again, and they waited for the next scene, but none was forthcoming. That was the last entry in their video record. Stark fast forwarded – just in case, but there was nothing left to see.

"Wow…" Pepper said, softly, still holding Peter. "That was so … _incredible_."

Peter nodded, needing the support she was giving him, and not ashamed of the fact that he had tears in his eyes.

"Yeah."

"You okay?" Stark asked him, brushing his hand against the boy's cheek.

He nodded, again.

"He was a pretty funny guy, huh?"

"Yeah, he was. Now we know where you get it."


	45. Chapter 45

Peter watched the video again. He couldn't help himself, and Tony and Pepper understood completely. They sat with him as he replayed the tape, this time both of them with an arm around him from either side. Just being there for him.

"You look just like him," Pepper told the boy when the video went black again and Peter almost reluctantly turned it off.

"Yeah, you do," Stark agreed.

Peter smiled at that, but his eyes filled with tears, again, completely overwhelmed at such an intimate connection with the father he barely remembered.

Perhaps not surprisingly, it was _Tony_ that he leaned into this time and Stark put his arms around the boy, holding him tightly while he cried.

"It's okay, Peter," Tony crooned, gently, to him. He ran his hand along Peter's hair, his back and his shoulder, while Pepper watched them, a tissue in her hand.

Pepper picked up the envelope that had been in the deposit box, and pulled out the papers that had been so uninteresting to Peter when he'd had all the other things to look at and started sifting through them.

It was a long time before Peter finally felt able to pull away, and he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"You okay?" Tony asked, his palm cupping Peter's cheek to hold him in place for the moment.

Peter nodded.

"Yeah. It was just… I didn't expect anything like that."

Tony remembered the time he'd seen his own father's message directly to him, and how he'd felt after. This was even more intense, and he knew it, so he knew how overpowering it could be. Even more so when you were looking at it happening to a fifteen year old who had already faced so much the past weeks.

"I know. It's okay to be a little overwhelmed by it. _I_ am, and it wasn't my dad on the tape."

Peter nodded again.

"Here is the title to that car," Pepper said, breaking into the moment now that Peter was a little more coherent and holding up one of the documents. "It looks like it's already been signed over to you. May probably took care of it after your parents' accident."

"She told me she was excited for my 16th birthday," Peter told them. "Now I know why…"

"She was going to surprise you with it," Tony guessed.

"Yeah."

It would have been an amazing surprise. It _was_ an amazing surprise.

"You need to make a decision," Stark told him, brushing Peter's cheek with his hand, using his thumb to wipe away the fresh tears. "We don't want to keep it in that storage unit. Do we take it to the _tower_? Or to the compound?"

"I can't drive in the city even with a junior driver's license," Peter said. "I looked it up. Not until I'm seventeen. If I get my junior license, though, I can drive anywhere else in the state at 16."

"To the _compound_ , then."

That way, even though it wasn't going to be available at all times to him since he was going to be living at the tower, it would be where he could drive it once he had his license in hand.

"Yeah. If you think that's okay?"

"Of course. We'll park it next to the Lamborghini so it can have cool foreign friends to keep it company when you're not there."

Which made Peter smile.

"Can we do it today?"

Tony looked at Pepper, who nodded.

"I don't see why not. The storage place is open twenty four hours."

"It'll have to be moved by flatbed, though," Tony told him. "It's been sitting a long time, and you don't want to drive it after that long without checking it out, first. If you want, we'll do a tune up on it tomorrow and maybe take it for a spin to let you try it out."

"Really?"

"Sure." He smiled, looking over at Pepper again. "But we won't teach you to _drive_ in it, okay? We'll use _mommy's_ car. Just in case."

Peter laughed at the reference to the video - and the way Pepper rolled her eyes, also amused. Tony stood up.

"I'll go make some calls. Be right back."

Peter watched him go towards the office, and looked at the small pile of papers that Pepper was sorting through.

"That's all the title for the car?"

She smiled, and held up the title.

" _This_ is the title. The rest are important documents. Your parents' marriage license, their birth certificates, death certificates and some documents from further back – your grandfather's discharge papers from the Marine's, that sort of thing. We'll put it in the safe here, in case you need any of it."

"Okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Tony walked back in, rubbing his hands and leaning over, pressing a kiss against the top of her head.

"We're set. We'll need to meet them at the storage unit, since Peter has the only key. We can call Steve and have him or Happy meet the tow truck at the compound to get it parked. That way we can have a late lunch before we head back."

"Sounds good. Peter?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. Great."

OOOOOOO

"You should be _ashamed_ of yourself…"

Natasha rolled over, her hand brushing against bare skin as she ran it over his belly and looking at Strange curiously.

"Oh? For _what_?"

"Seducing me like that."

She chuckled, and he caught her hand, bringing it up to his lips and brushing a kiss against her palm, also smiling.

"I'm pretty sure there's shared guilt in there somewhere. I didn't hold you _down_ , after all."

"Well… that one time when-"

" _That_ doesn't count," she interrupted, rolling over onto him and leaning down to kiss him quite seriously. "I needed you to be still just then."

"That's not how you keep me _still_ ," he pointed out when she broke the kiss, shifting just a little underneath her until he had her just where he wanted her.

"No?"

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he sat up, which made them both gasp.

"No." This time he kissed her, his hand moving between them. "Round two?"

"If you're up for it."

Stephen laughed at the obvious double meaning and rolled her over onto her back, and followed.

"That won't be a problem, Natasha, I assure you."

OOOOOOOO

They stood outside the storage unit and watched as the two men that the tow truck company sent pushed the car out of the storage unit and into the sun. The canvas cover had been taken off while they did, and the car was even prettier the second time Peter saw it.

The guy running the storage unit was equally impressed, and shook his head.

" _That_ is a beautiful car."

Tony smiled, pleased at the look on Peter's face. A mixture of excitement and awe. Both were fun to see, and much preferred over the concerns and worry that normally plagued him. Even in the best of times, Peter was far too solemn as far as Stark was concerned.

"Yeah, it is."

"Going into your collection, Mr. Stark?"

"Nope." He rested his hand on Peter's shoulder. "We're starting a _new_ collection."

The car was put onto the truck, and then a specialized cover was draped over it and securely fastened to protect it on the drive to the compound.

"What do you guys want for dinner?" Pepper asked them as the truck left the storage facility. It was too late to call it lunch, after all.

"Peter?"

He started. He'd been watching the truck. The one with _his_ car on it. He'd never understood how Stark had so many cars, and why. A car was a car, as far as he'd been concerned. But the Pontiac was different. It had been his dad's, and now it was _his_. Not only was it a legacy from his father but it was also – vicariously – a gift from his grandfather.

"Yeah?"

Tony smiled, his expression telling the boy that he understood completely.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything."


	46. Chapter 46

It was fairly late when Romanoff returned to the compound. She drove into the garage, and frowned when she parked next to a car that she didn't recognize. A _gorgeous_ car, though. Shiny and red and screaming American muscle car. She admired it as she turned her car off, and got out, and then even stopped to look into the window at the interior. It was beautifully complete and she wondered when Stark bought it. He was more into the foreign cars, she knew.

Natasha made it a habit to make rounds of the compound when she arrived after being away for a while. Mainly to see if there was anything that needed her attention, or if anything interesting had happened that she needed to know about.

She stopped in the lounge, but no one was there. Not surprising on a Sunday night, really. No one had called her, she knew, and a quick stop in the control center left her knowing that it was safe for her to let her guard down and allow herself to get some sleep.

Stretching a little as she headed to Peter's quarters to check on him, she had to admit that she felt pretty good – and while she _was_ a little tired, she wasn't exhausted. For that matter, she was only _tired_ because they had gone for round three when she and Stephen were both old enough to know better, and too horny to stop and leave well enough alone.

A hot shower, an early dinner and a nap in his arms had been enough to restore her, and she'd declined the offer to stay the night, knowing full well that they had no business _thinking_ about round four, but might be tempted. Instead she'd kissed him and left, promising to see him the next day – unless Wong didn't return from London. Then he'd stay in the sanctum another day, and Natasha couldn't justify taking the day off just to spend it with him after having so much downtime from being sick.

She opened the door to Peter's quarters just a crack, peeking in to see if he was on the sofa, and saw that the TV was on and he was sitting in the living room, watching it. Romanoff tapped on the door to get his attention and when he turned toward her, she walked in.

"Busy?"

"No."

He paused what he was watching, smiling at her when she walked over and settled beside him, looking at the screen. She frowned, wondering why the man sitting on the couch holding the toddler looked somewhat familiar.

"What are you watching?" she asked, putting an arm around him and pulling him against her long enough to press a kiss against his temple.

"That's my _dad_ ," he told her, his smile widening.

"Really?"

She leaned forward, letting him go so she could get a closer look. That explained why he'd looked familiar to her, then. She looked back at Peter, even though she pretty much had his features memorized, and ran her hand along his jaw. He smiled, because he knew what she was doing. He'd done it, too, using a mirror to compare his own face to that of the man on the screen.

"Yeah."

"You look like him," she said, approvingly. "Is that _you_ , then?"

Peter nodded, looking at the video. It wasn't on VHS, though. He still had that tape – it was in the safe in Tony and Pepper's room – but Tony had had Friday upload a copy into the system so he could stream the whole thing whenever and wherever he wanted.

After he'd said goodnight to everyone – and stopped to check out the Pontiac once more – he had gone to his room and had been watching it in a loop ever since.

"You're so _cute_ …"

He smiled, again, and she hugged him, cheered to see him so contented.

"Thanks."

"Where did you get it?"

He told her the events of his morning and afternoon, where it started at the bank and then went to the storage unit to find out what the key went to. Natasha smiled.

"Then that red car is _yours_?"

Peter nodded, proudly.

"It's _beautiful_ , Peter."

"I know. Tony is going to help me give it a tune up and oil change or whatever it needs and we're going to go for a drive in it, tomorrow."

"That's amazing."

"Want to come?"

"Yes. But not tomorrow." She touched his cheek. "The first drive should be you and Tony, I think. Kind of a _guy_ thing, you know?"

She didn't say a _father/son_ thing, but she meant that, too.

"You'll come next time?"

"Absolutely. And you can take me on a _road trip_ when you get your license. To 7-11, if nothing more daring."

"Okay."

She looked at the screen, and the image paused on it.

"Can I watch the video with you?"

"Yeah." Peter leaned back, into her side, and she put her arm around him once more, while he restarted the sequence.

They watched in silence while he played out the first few years of his life in only a few minutes, and Natasha found herself nearly crying at just how poignant the images were. She smiled, though, to see the way young Peter was constantly touching his father's bearded chin and cheek – which had confirmed what she always assumed whenever she saw him do it to Tony – or even to _Stephen_ a few times. It _was_ a comfort thing for him – and apparently had been from the very beginning.

"What an amazing gift your parents left you…" she told him.

"I know." He paused it, soaking up the image of his father holding him in his arms, half asleep and his eyes looking up at him. "Just the tape alone would be enough. The car is nice – it's _incredible_ – but to see him… and then to hear him interact with my mom like they did. They really loved each other."

"And _you_."

"Yeah."

They were silent for a minute, simply looking at the TV. Mainly to give Peter a chance to regain control of the tears that threatened. Not _sad_ tears. But tears.

"Do you remember the cat? Or the dog?"

"No. I tried to, earlier."

"Your dad was a good looking guy."

"Think so?"

She shrugged, and nodded.

"I'm kind of a sucker for facial hair, though. Don't tell _Tony_ , though, okay? He'll start drawing beards on all my pictures…"

Peter smiled, recognizing the truth in that statement.

"What did _you_ do today?" he asked. "Anything interesting?"

Her smile was somewhat amused, and he wondered idly what was so funny about that question.

"I went to the sanctum, today," Natasha told him. "Finally got that tour Stephen kept promising me."

"It's pretty neat, huh?"

"Yes. It really is incredible. Like a museum, just like you said."

"Did you see the cloak's display case? It's in the library."

"No. Or if I _did_ , Stephen didn't point it out to me."

"It's in the library," Peter told her, helpfully. "The one on the _third floor_ , not the main floor library."

"We didn't get that far," she told him, honestly. "There was too much to see on the first two floors."

"Did Wong come back from London?" he asked, wondering what kind of relics he might have brought with him.

"He hadn't returned by the time I left." Natasha pulled his head to her shoulder. "How do you feel?"

He knew that like Tony, she wasn't interested in what he'd eaten and if he was running a fever or something. She'd know if he was looking sick, after all. She was curious how he was _doing_.

"I'm okay, I think. It was a good day, you know? I haven't had a lot of those, lately."

"I know," she told him. "I'm glad it was good for you."

She knew he'd been worried about the safe deposit box – although he hadn't been able to explain to her why it concerned him so much.

" _You_ had a good day, too?"

"It was pretty good," she confirmed.

Peter was quiet for a long moment.

"May used to tell me that as long as you have more good days than bad days, you must be doing something right…"

"She was a very wise woman."

"Yeah."

He felt that familiar ache, and the emptiness that her leaving him had left inside him, but he didn't feel the soul crushing grief that normally accompanied it. Instead, he felt the love and support. Not just from Natasha, who was the one loving and supporting him just then, but the memory of the way Tony and Pepper – and Strange and the others – were all willing to give him their time, their comfort and a shoulder whenever he needed it.

Many times without him even needing to ask for it.

Natasha kissed him again, and then squeezed him for a moment before releasing her hold on him.

"I'm going to go to bed. You know where to find me if you need me."

"Thanks, Natasha."

She left, and Peter restarted the video.


	47. Chapter 47

It didn't surprise Stark – or Pepper – when Peter ended up crawling into bed with them sometime around 3 AM. The only other logical place that he might have gone after the day that he'd had was to sleep with his car in the garage, or of course with Romanoff. As usual when he was sleepwalking, he didn't say anything when he joined them, moving preternaturally silent as he always did – even when he wasn't trying to.

He just climbed over Tony only moments after Friday chimed an alert that he was arriving and settled in between them on top of the blankets since neither of them had a chance to actually pull the covers back for him. Pepper had just sleepily flipped the top blanket off of her and over the boy, then she and Tony had moved closer to him to keep him warm and provide whatever comfort he needed.

Peter hadn't done any more than simply gone to sleep, and he was still asleep when they both woke up a few hours later and started their day.

"You're spending the day with him?" Pepper asked over breakfast.

"Yeah. We're going to work on the car."

" _And_ have that talk with him…"

Stark shrugged.

"Sure."

"Try not to embarrass him too much."

" _He's_ probably not the one that you need to worry about."

Pepper smiled at that.

"Stephen called around the other day and gave me the names of some top child psychologists. I'm going to do a little calling of my own today and see what we need to do for him."

"Tired of sharing the bed with both of us?" he teased.

"Worried that we're missing something, more like. I don't mind him _sleepwalking_ – I've been there and done that, remember – but if it's caused by something we haven't addressed, then he needs to see a professional. Besides, with the abilities that he has, I'm worried he'll end up somewhere _dangerous_ – even _with_ Friday keeping tabs on him."

"So am I," Tony admitted. "It's one of the reasons I haven't suggested moving him to the tower, yet."

He didn't need to mention how much more dangerous it would be for the boy to be out in the city and unaware of what he was doing, or where he'd end up.

"Sound him out about how he'd feel about talking to someone," Pepper suggested. "Try not to use the word _psychologist_ , or _shrink_ , though, please…"

"Will do." He took a sip of his coffee. "I suppose we could tie his ankle to his bed, if all else fails."

Pepper rolled her eyes.

OOOOOOOO

There was a bit of a crowd around the Pontiac when Peter and Tony went to the garage a little over an hour later. Happy, Steve and Clint were all looking at it, admiring the lines of the car. Which said something about just how good it looked, considering that it was nestled between Tony's Lamborghini and Natasha's sporty Corvette.

"Peter!"

Clint hadn't seen the car the evening before when it had been delivered. He'd returned to the compound later than usual on Sunday, and had flown in so had had no reason to pass through the garage at all. Only when he'd seen Steve the next morning at breakfast to compare schedules for the day – and the week – had he heard about it, and the two had immediately headed to the garage to look at it. And had found Happy there, already checking it out.

Hawkeye grinned at the boy and ruffled his fingers through his hair before Peter could duck out of the way.

" _Nice_ car, my man."

Peter's echoing smile was proud, and just plain _happy_. Something they were all pleased to see.

"It was my _dad's_ ," he explained, in case Clint hadn't heard the story.

"He had good taste."

"Since you guys are here," Tony said. " _You_ can help us roll it outside. We're going to tune it up and make sure it's ready for the road."

"It looks ready," Steve said, running a hand along the hood.

They rolled the car outside into the sunlight. Tony could have done the tune up and oil change in the garage, but outside there was more ventilation for when they started the car, and besides, the sunlight made it gleam that much more.

"We'll want to make a copy of that key," Tony told Peter, who wasn't really paying attention since Clint had pulled him out of the car and was now wrestling with him on the grass, always more physical with Peter than the others tended to be.

Of course, he had a son – _two_ of them – and he knew that Peter was a lot tougher than he looked. Besides, he'd seen him spar with Natasha. Hawkeye was well aware that he couldn't really hurt Peter by messing with him.

"Barton…?"

Peter and Clint both looked up. Clint had the boy pinned under him, using his weight and leverage to the only advantage that he really had since Peter was far stronger and more agile than he was. Both were grinning, though, obviously enjoying themselves.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to need my assistant in one piece."

Clint rolled off Peter just as Natasha walked up to the group.

"What are you boys doing?" she asked, watching as Steve offered them both a hand up.

"We're going to work on the car," Peter reminded her, getting to his feet. "What are you doing today?"

"Lots of training drills this week," Steve said, answering for her. "We're a little behind with everyone getting sick."

"If you need me I'll be with Peter most of the day," Tony told him – although it was really meant for all of them. He doubted that anything would come up that Steve couldn't handle, though.

"We'll be fine."

They left, then, and Stark slapped Peter on the shoulder.

"Ready to learn everything you need to know about your car?"

The boy grinned, which was all the answer Tony needed.

OOOOOOOO

There wasn't a kit for a classic like the Pontiac, but Tony Stark didn't _need_ a kit. By the time he was done, he had every intention of making sure that _Peter_ wouldn't need a kit, either. They opened the hood of the car and methodically Tony took Peter through the process of a tune up and then the oil change, showing him what needed to be done, and then watching as he tried it, too, and smiling to find himself in such a position – amazed as always by the position he found himself in.

Tony Stark enjoyed tinkering. He loved everything that there was about working with tech of all kinds and engines were an extension of that. Normally working alone – mainly because he grew aggravated when people couldn't keep up with him – he found himself really enjoying taking the time to show Peter each step, and then allowing him to do it instead of micromanaging and doing it for him.

Because of that, it took longer to do, but it was time spent with Peter, and he was fine with that.

It also gave him a chance to talk to him.

"So…" he said, watching as Peter wiped his forehead with his hand, leaving a streak of oil he probably didn't know was there. " _MJ_ , huh?"

Surprised by the topic, and not hiding it, Peter immediately blushed.

"Um. Yeah."

"Are you guys an item?"

"No."

"Do you _want_ to be an item?"

"What?"

Stark rolled his eyes, amused as always by how easily the boy could get discombobulated with a simple question.

"Are you _interested_ in her? Tab A into slot B, I mean."

"No. Well, maybe. I mean, I don't know, really."

"So, _yes_?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Stark told him, handing him a towel to wipe his hands. "You're at the age for girls to start getting interesting. But you need to remember that certain… _activities_ … have potential consequences."

Peter stared at him.

"Are you giving me the _sex_ talk? You _know_ May already did that, right…?"

"She gave you the one you needed when you were 11," Tony told him. "This one is more of a sex talk version _2.0_. In case there are questions you have about the whole thing. Not just how everything fits together."

"Oh. _No_. I'm good, I guess."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Well… _maybe_? I mean, we're not really an item or anything, so it doesn't matter, really."

Stark shrugged.

"If it isn't her, it'll eventually be someone, okay? Just remember that I'm here if you have any questions."

"Okay. Thanks."

"And before you do anything _physical_ , think how you're going to feel if you have to tell _Pepper_ you got someone pregnant."

Peter blushed again.

"I won't do anything like that."

"So we've had our talk?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Stark took a wrench from Peter and pointed out the oil plug. "Pepper and I were talking about keeping you out of school for another couple of weeks."

"I'm pretty behind," Peter reminded him.

"Yeah, we know. And we'll make sure you work on that homework while you're out, but we think you're better off out here for a while longer..."

"Because of the _sleepwalking_?"

Proving he was a bit naïve sometimes, but Peter Parker was far from stupid.

"Yeah, that's a big part of it. Not all, though, but it's safer for you to be doing that out here than in the city."

"Especially with what I can do..."

"Walking up a wall in front of a bunch of people would screw up your anonymity."

"I'm not doing it on purpose..."

Stark chuckled.

"We know that. Remember, _Pepper_ used to do it, too. She understands even better than I do, and is worried that we're missing something that we should be doing for you."

"You've done so much."

"May said that she had you talk to a professional when you used to sleepwalk," Tony told him. "We'd like to get you in with someone - just to see if there's anything we can do to help. Not because you're crazy or anything, but because sometimes talking to someone who is completely on the outside will bring out a different perspective."

"I'm sorry I'm so much trouble. I-"

" _Stop_." Tony held his hand up, feeling a surge of annoyance. "You're not _trouble_. Nothing about this is trouble, okay? You have no idea how much we want you here with us, and how much we want you to be happy with us. That means doing whatever it takes to make that happen. Don't ever think you're a burden, and I mean it. Got it?"

"Yeah."

Tony put his hand on Peter's head, but then pulled him into a hug for just a moment, hiding the display of affection behind the raised hood of the Pontiac.

"Don't worry about your homework and don't worry about being trouble. We'll get through it all, you'll see. Okay?"

He closed the hood, and handed the key to the boy.

"Turn it over," he said. "Let's see how it sounds."

OOOOOO

"Sounds good, doesn't it?"

Peter nodded, allowing his foot to press a little harder on the accelerator to listen to the engine, and feel the vibration of the power under the hood go through the entire car.

"It's amazing."

"Shall we try it out?"

"Yeah."

Stark gestured for Peter to go ahead, but he turned the engine off and shook his head.

"You drive it, okay?"

"It's _your_ car."

"I don't have my license, yet, though."

"You drove the _Lamborghini_."

"Not very well."

It was one thing to drive Tony's hundred thousand dollar car. It was another entirely to risk crashing the car that had once belonged to his father. Luckily, Tony understood. They traded places.

"Shall we put the top down?" he suggested.

Might as well do it right, after all.


	48. Chapter 48

It was as great as Peter could have imagined it to be. The car ran smoothly, but that wasn't a surprise. Tony had pointed out to him that the engine had been as clean as any he'd ever seen – even in a classic – and had said he'd have been surprised if there were any issues that the tune up couldn't fix. They _did_ have to turn the heat up, but that was the price one had to pay for enjoying a convertible in the fall, and neither suggested they put the top up.

The car _would_ need new tires, Tony decided. The ones that were on it hadn't shown any sign of warping, even sitting for as long as it had, but he'd make sure to order some up to replace them. Just because it was better to be safe than sorry. Especially once it was Peter doing the driving.

By the time Stark turned the car back the direction of the compound, Peter was certain that his car was one of the most amazing presents he would ever receive in his life. He wondered if that was how his father had felt when his grandfather had presented it to him on _his_ birthday, all those years ago. The thought made him feel yet another connection to the man he'd barely remembered.

Stephen Strange was waiting for them in the garage when they pulled in, leaning against Natasha's Corvette. He watched silently while Tony parked the Pontiac beside him and smiled at Peter when the boy waved. The cloak hanging from his shoulders was not so patient, and it engulfed Peter the moment the car stopped, crooning happiness into his mind, cheerfully, while caressing the boy's ears and cheeks.

"Natasha told me about your car," he said, opening Peter's door for him. "But even though she _said_ it was beautiful, she didn't do it justice."

"It runs like it looks," Tony told him, putting up the top even though they were inside and they didn't need to worry about rain.

Peter grinned, and looked so cheerful that Strange almost automatically put an arm around him, feeling happy as well.

"He wouldn't let you drive it?"

"I don't drive well enough to _risk_ driving it," Peter admitted. "But it was fun. If you want, you can come with us, next time."

"I'll take you up on that," Stephen assured him. "Your tabs are well beyond expired, though. Better get _that_ fixed."

"Pepper already updated them online," Tony said. "The new plates and the registration should be coming in the next few weeks."

"Is Wong back, then?" Peter asked as they left the garage and headed almost automatically for the lounge, the cloak now hovering between Strange and the boy as they walked.

"Yes. A few hours ago."

Stark looked at his watch.

"Have you eaten, Stephen? We haven't had anything since breakfast. I'm hungry."

Since it was well after noon, now, that was no surprise.

"I had lunch with Natasha and Clint," he replied. "But I'll keep you guys company."

"Did Wong bring anything back from London?"

"A few things," Strange answered as they entered the lounge and took the corner table. "Which is one of the reasons I'm here."

"Hold that thought," Tony told him, leaving them long enough to go to the bar and speak with the bartender. He looked over at them and mimed drinking, and Peter nodded, but Stephen shook his head. Tony brought back a couple of bottles of cola and handed one to Peter before sitting down, again. "Okay. Let me guess; Wong wants to borrow Peter for his project?"

"We can't keep the relics and artifacts that he brought back with him for too long, so yes. The sooner, the better, really. If he's feeling up to it."

"What kind of relics?" Peter asked, interested.

"Nothing called the _Chainsaw of Death_? Or _Merlin's Eat You Alive Hat_?" Tony added.

Strange smiled and shook his head, amused that Peter was already interested, but Tony was far more reluctant, being more protective of Peter than the boy was of his own health. He would have said that the whole guardian thing had already affected Stark, but he had _always_ been ultra-protective of the boy, so while it _had_ changed him in a few ways – maybe in _many_ ways, even – that wasn't one of them.

"No, nothing that is _obviously_ dangerous. I wouldn't risk Peter, you know that."

"Yeah. I do."

"We'll rely on those senses of his to warn him if something shouldn't be handled," the doctor reminded him. "And, of course, Wong and I will be right there in case things seem to be going wrong."

The cloak reached out from the position it had taken on Peter's shoulder and tapped Stark's, clearly reminding the man that it was going to be around as well. It was amazing what you could get used to, Tony thought, realizing that he was actually counting on that piece of fabric being there since he knew it could help.

The crazy thing had taken on a _bear_ , after all. What could the _Candelabra of Doom_ do to it?

Stark looked at Peter.

"Well?"

"I'd like to help."

"I can be there?" He asked Strange.

"Of course."

He _expected_ him to be there.

"Tomorrow?"

"That's fine, Tony. I'll tell Wong when I get back." They were interrupted by lunch being brought over. Not too surprisingly, it was burgers and fries. Stephen looked at Peter. "Tell me more about your car."

OOOOOOOOO

When he was finished eating and had told Strange not only everything he knew about the car, but also told him about the item in the safe deposit box and the video, Peter excused himself, telling Stark that he was going to go work on his homework and thanking him again for the good time that he'd had that morning.

Both men watched him go, with the cloak still wrapped around his neck and shoulders.

"Is he still behind?"

"Yeah," Tony told him. "And it's not going to get better, since we're keeping him here another couple of weeks – until we figure out what to do about the sleepwalking."

"Is he stressing it?"

"Probably. I doubt that's what is causing him to wander at night, though. Pepper said she was going to call around to some psychologists today, and while we were working on the car I sounded him out about going to one. He's not against the idea, so we'll get him some professional help and see if that fixes things any."

"Good."

"I'm not worried about him missing school," Stark continued, watching the entrance where Peter had disappeared. "He's smart enough to catch up. The harm that he could do to himself sleepwalking in the city scares me, though."

"That's sensible, Tony," Stephen told him. "You explained it to him?"

"I didn't have to. He's figured it out, himself."

They were silent for a while, both drinking coffee and thinking about Peter and what the next step would be for him. Finally Strange shrugged.

"Why don't we go talk to Pepper? Maybe she's learned something."

Stark nodded, and they got up.

"Maybe she can suggest something for that _hickey_ on your neck…"

"It's a seatbelt bruise," Stephen told him.

"Yeah? Did you _drive_ here?"

"No."

Stark smirked, and Strange just rolled his eyes.

"Do I need to have the same talk with you I just had with Peter?"

"Drop it, or I will toss you in the river…"

Tony did, but it would have been worth the dunking.


	49. Chapter 49

"Where's Peter?" Pepper asked when Strange and Stark entered the room a short time later.

"Doing homework."

They walked over to her desk and Strange took a seat at one of the chairs in front of it, while Tony simply perched himself on the edge of the desk.

"He's not _stressing_ it, is he?"

"Just taking advantage of the day to get it done."

"How did the car go?"

"It's _amazing_. His dad kept it in perfect condition."

"He had a good time, then?"

"Yeah. Did you learn anything?"

"He has an appointment Friday morning at 10 am. You talked to him about seeing someone?"

Tony nodded.

"He's fine with it."

"Any suggestions for between now and then?" Strange asked.

"It was suggested that he gets a pet. Preferably an interactive one – not a _fish_ , for example."

"I don't think he wants a pet…" Tony told her. "I know _we_ discussed a dog and decided it wouldn't be a good idea, remember?"

Pepper nodded.

"The doctor didn't necessarily say that _Peter_ had to have the pet. Just that there _is_ one. I know someone who _does_ want a dog – a couple of people who do, as a matter of fact – so Natasha and I came up with an idea. Would you gentlemen like to go on a road trip?"

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Tony and Stephen both looked at each other and shrugged.

"Okay."

"Call Natasha and let her know we'll meet her and the others in the garage."

"The _others_?" Stark repeated. "Who all is going?"

"Clint, Natasha and Steve…" she smiled. "You can drive."

OOOOOOOO

Peter sighed, and leaned back into the sofa, closing his eyes, tiredly and wishing that Ned was there to distract him.

He'd been doing homework for hours, and had finished all of the math work that he hadn't gotten done while Ned and MJ had been there – which wasn't too much. He finished the science stuff as well – for the most part. There was a practical experiment that he had to come up with but he couldn't do that right there, and figured that if nothing else maybe Tony would help him think of something – or maybe Doctor Strange, or Wong, even, if he brought it up while he was at the sanctum the next day.

He had a book to read for English, but worse, he had a couple of papers that he needed to write, and he didn't have the means to do that. His laptop and computer had both been in his room at the apartment, and he didn't know where anything from that room was, now. His room at the tower had a computer system, so he wouldn't have had a problem writing them there, but the quarters at the compound didn't, and he knew that meant he was going to have to ask for someone to loan him a laptop for a few hours.

It could wait, though. He had plenty of other homework to keep him occupied, and he didn't feel like writing any papers just then, anyway. His head was pounding, and he wasn't sure if it was from stress, or from staring at the homework for so long. He was thinking that a nap might help him lose the headache, but he was worried if he did that, then he wouldn't be sleepy and who knew what bed he'd end up in come morning?

His sleepwalking had never been so bad, even after his parents had died, and _that_ worried him, too. Of course, he'd been little then, and couldn't walk up walls, so maybe it _had_ been just as bad then, but _he_ had been easier to contain, and the consequences weren't as serious. He knew Pepper and Tony didn't want him worrying about it, but he _was_ – even though they didn't seem annoyed at all when he'd wake up in their bed even though he'd fallen asleep in his own.

Maybe he _did_ need a shrink. It certainly couldn't hurt to talk to some kind of professional. Natasha was patient, too, but even she was eventually going to get tired of him ending up in her bed every third night. He grinned, even thorough the headache. Especially if _Doctor Strange_ was already in it.

Peter hadn't mentioned it, but he wondered if Strange knew that he had a hickey. Peter hadn't been on the giving _or_ receiving end of one, but he _was_ in high school, after all, and knew one when he saw it. And then, once he'd seen it, he had understood why Natasha had been so amused by his question the night before, and he thought he knew why they hadn't made it beyond the second floor of the sanctum – although _that_ wasn't any of his business.

Before he could start patting himself on the back for finally getting the two of them together, though, there was a knock on the door and he looked over as it opened. Clint Barton poked his head in.

"Busy?"

"No. Just doing homework."

"Can I borrow you for a minute? I need some advice."

"Sure. On What?"

Barton made a motion with his head.

"Come on, I'll show you."

He moved his papers back to the coffee table and got up, wondering what Clint needed. Wordlessly, Barton led him down the corridor and then outside. Peter saw the others crouched or kneeling in a small group around something that had to be pretty interesting since even Doctor Strange was kneeling, almost certainly getting his slacks grass stained.

"You know I live on a _farm_ , right?" Clint asked.

"Yeah."

'Well, I promised my kids I'd get them a dog."

"You got them one?" Peter asked, grinning.

"Well, yeah. But I made the mistake of taking _Steve_ with me to choose it, and you know how he is with puppies. So I got _two_ …"

They all looked up when he and Barton approached, and Steve was holding a chocolate lab puppy in one arm, and a yellow lab puppy in the other. Captain America was making baby talk noises to both puppies, while they tried to lick his face, eagerly.

"Which one do I let Clint have for his kids?" Steve asked Peter. "And which one do we keep here at the compound?"

Peter grinned.

"You're getting a _dog_?"

"No. the _Avengers_ are getting a dog," Steve corrected him. "If I say he's _mine_ , then I have to try and find time for everything he needs – and I don't have that much free time. If _we_ get a dog, then everyone has to help, and he doesn't end up all alone whenever I'm gone on a mission or something."

"The _question_ ," Pepper said, smiling and reaching to take the yellow puppy, while Natasha appropriated the chocolate one from Steve before he could protest. "Is which one do _we_ keep and which one do you think Clint's kids would prefer?"

"You're _younger_ ," Barton pointed out. "Which one would you say would probably make a better farm dog, and which one would make a spy dog?"

Since Peter's knowledge of dogs could fill a single page of paper – _triple spaced_ – he didn't have a clue.

"Here," Natasha said, handing him the puppy she was holding. "Ask him if he wants to be an Avenger, or if he wants to be a farmer."

Peter sat on the grass with the others and took the puppy, grinning at the way it tried to lick him immediately.

"He's not answering me."

"Barton doesn't go home until Friday," Tony said, hiding his approval of how relaxed and happy Peter looked with the puppy in his arms. He had to admit, Pepper looked adorable with one, as well. "By then we'll have had a chance to get to know them a little better. The one that doesn't chew up my stuff gets to stay _here_. The destructive one goes home with Hawkeye to his house and _his_ kids."


	50. Chapter 50

The puppies were quite a distraction. One puppy would be anyway, but _two_ of them was obviously that much more. They were adorned with collars – plain, black collars and tags that didn't have names just yet, since the puppies wouldn't be officially named until their destinies were decided. Whichever one went home with Clint on the weekend would end up being named by the kids, and the other one would be properly anointed by whatever name was agreed to by the others.

Then the puppies were taken to dinner, where they were fed and then doted on by everyone around them. As it _should_ be with puppies, of course.

After the humans had eaten as well, Strange left for the sanctum, figuring that he wasn't needed at the facility, and wanting to talk to Wong about the next morning's project. The others relaxed in the lounge, watching as Peter interacted with both puppies for a while, but then handed the yellow puppy over to Clint, to give the man a chance to get to know him.

Tony smiled to see the boy on the floor, playing tug of war with the chocolate colored puppy and a piece of rope, while Natasha and Clint played with the yellow one. Everyone in the room stopped to meet them, though, and they were constantly being picked up and cuddled – especially, it seemed, by the female population of the facility, who crooned and baby talked both until they were wagging their tails so hard it seemed they'd fly off at any moment.

Eventually, though, they both ended up asleep, and Peter decided that he was going to call it a night, too.

"Taking one of them with you?" Pepper asked when he finally stood up and said goodnight to the others.

Peter shook his head, smiling down at them, but not showing any inclination to pick up either one just then.

"Clint and Steve should have the first night with them," he pointed out. "They're the ones who have to decide which one goes where. I can wait my turn."

Both men offered one up to Peter, but he declined, unwilling to take a turn that he didn't feel was his. He didn't mind waiting. Besides, when he thought about it a little more, looking back at the fun that he'd had with them, he didn't really want to become too attached to whichever one was going to end up going to Clint's kids, because he'd miss it. Yeah, it was just a _puppy_ , but Peter tended to give himself wholeheartedly when he fell for someone – or something – and a puppy probably wouldn't be any different. He'd decided that it might be best if he just held hold off on really loving up the one that stayed until he knew which one it was going to be.

Instead, he told everyone goodnight, saying he was going to work on his homework for a little while and then would go to bed.

"I'll walk with you," Natasha told him, kissing each puppy before getting up as well.

"Okay."

"You're not stressing your homework, are you?" she asked him as they left the lounge, wondering if he was worried that taking a puppy to bed with him would be too much of a distraction from getting his work done.

"No. Not really. It needs to get _done_ , though."

"A puppy might help you _focus_."

Peter raised an eyebrow at that with a half smile.

"You _think_ so?"

She smiled.

"No. Probably not."

"Besides, what do I do when I fall for the wrong one and it goes home with Clint? I'm not very good with goodbyes, as I've already proven."

"We could get you one of your own…"

"No. I'm too busy for a full time puppy. I figured that out this evening. They are a lot of _work_ , and I'm tired just from being with them for an evening. When the Avenger puppy becomes permanent I'll love him up and play with him, but I don't want one of my own. It wouldn't be fair to it. Besides, there isn't any place for a puppy to run around in the tower."

It was obvious that he'd thought it through, and Natasha could understand what he was saying. She wondered if they should have designated which puppy was going to be the _Avenger_ puppy before introducing them to Peter, to sidestep him avoiding bonding with either of them until the choice was made. It was too late, now, but they might have outsmarted themselves on this one, she realized with no small amount of chagrin.

"Do you need anything?" she asked as they stopped at his door.

"Yeah, actually. Sometime in the next few days do you have a _laptop_ that I can use?" he asked, surprising her. "I have some papers to write and nothing to write them on."

Romanoff nodded, realizing that his would have been in the apartment and he wouldn't know where to even begin looking for it. She wouldn't, either, truth be told.

"Remind me tomorrow if I forget, okay?"

"Thanks."

She cupped his cheeks with her palms and kissed him.

"You know where I am if you need me."

Which made him smile and he hugged her, putting his head on her shoulder for a long moment. It was too late for him not to give himself to _her_ wholeheartedly, but he didn't care.

Natasha let him go only when he released her, watched him go into his quarters and then headed back to the lounge. _She_ wasn't quite ready for bed, and knew that the others would want to know if she felt there was anything they needed to know.

Which there _was_ , of course.

OOOOOOO

 _Spot was a golden colored Irish Setter. A beautiful dog, now that he was being shown memories of him. He was active, and happy and he and his dad would spend hours taking the dog out for long walks. Another memory showed him the moment that he'd been playing with the big dog's leash and had slip knotted it around his wrist at just the wrong moment before Spot had caught sight of a squirrel._

 _The dog had taken off and had dragged the small boy behind him. No big deal until he'd run by a telephone pole and Peter had been caught up on it, the sudden stop snapping his wrist cleanly before his horrified father had caught up to them._

" _No more walking the dog for you," his father had crooned to the crying child in between sobs as he carried him home gently in one arm, pressing his cheek lovingly against his son's cheek, the dog's leash in his free hand. No recriminations to the boy for being so foolish as to put himself in that situation – or even the dog, for doing what dogs do. "From now on you only get to walk the cat…"_

 _The scene changed and he was living with May in the apartment. He looked for Spot, now, and couldn't find him. The dog was another link that the boy had with his father. His parents were gone. His mom, his dad, and the cat. Even Spot._

 _A flash of someone taking the dog away. Leading him to a station wagon and opening the door for the dog to jump inside. A memory of being told that he was going to a home that had a lot of room for him to run and a loving family to spend all their time with him. He wouldn't be happy in an apartment. But Peter wanted him. Had cried then at the loss of yet another someone he loved being taken from him._

 _But he could find him, he realized. He only had to find him. A connection with his dad. Lost like the car that had been lost to him until so recently._

 _It was just a matter of finding him, too._

OOOOOOOO

" _I CAN'T FIND SPOT!"_

Tony Stark jerked upright as the cry came through his communications at almost the exact same moment Friday chimed an alert to him.

" _Peter has just left the facility…"_

He scrambled out of bed, already awake.

"Which exit?"

Pepper sat up as well, and Tony realized that the panicked call hadn't gone over his direct communications line. It had been a general broadcast, and that all over the facility people were going to be waking up, looking around in varying degrees of concern and alert at the panicked summons and trying to figure out who it was and what was going on.

Tony couldn't worry about that just then.

" _West, he's heading for the river."_

"Shit."

"Tony?"

Pepper's voice was worried.

"I'll bring him here," he told her, already heading for the door at a run.

The boy was ridiculously fast.

People were spilling out into the corridors as the cry was repeated, the panic so clear that some were holding personal side arms, waiting for orders, uncertain still what was going on. Unfortunately, they were also slowing Stark down.

"Make a hole!"

Everyone in the corridor immediately pressed against the wall they were closest to, and Tony was glad they'd actually had that kind if drill. He activated the Ironman suit as he ran toward the closest exit.

" _Tony?"_

That was Romanoff in his ear.

"It's Peter," he told her. "Send everyone back to bed. Friday, deactivate his general broadcast capabilities."

" _Gotcha."_

He slammed through the door and was in the air in an instant, scanners already pegging the boy. Running full tilt through the trees that separated the facility from the river.

" _We're not going to beat him there,"_ Friday told him.

"Then we'll be there to fish him out of the water."

Just before the boy hit the bank, though, there was a flash of yellow – circular and glaring on Tony's heads up display. The boy ran right through the portal and an instant later was running out of another one – this time back toward the compound. Stark adjusted his flight and landed in front of him, catching him up, easily, as Strange suddenly appeared next to them.

Peter struggled in Tony's arms.

"Let me _go_ , Tony," he whimpered. "I gotta _find_ him."

He kept the suit on, well aware that he wouldn't be able to hold him, otherwise, but he deactivated the helmet.

"Calm down, Peter," he crooned as gently as he could despite the panic he'd been in. "I'll help you look, okay?"

Peter shook his head, trying to get free.

"They _took_ him…"

"We'll get him back," Tony promised, pressing his cheek against the boy's, holding his head still with one hand, while holding his body tightly against his metal encased chest with the other.

The boy stilled, then, his hand brushing against Stark's chin for just a moment, before dropping against the man's chest. He was shaking, but Stark didn't know if it was from being in only a t-shirt and shorts in the cold evening, or from reaction to whatever had set this particular nightmare off.

"Come on," he murmured, looking at Stephen but talking to Peter. "Let's get you back to bed…"

"I need to find Spot…"

This time it was a soft plea, but there was no more struggle in the boy just then, and Tony deactivated his suit and picked him up.

"It's okay, Peter…" he made sure of his grip, the boy's face tucked against his jaw, and looked at Strange, again. "My workroom should be clear."

Stephen nodded and an instant later that was where the three of them materialized. Stark carried the boy into his bedroom, with Strange right behind him, and deposited him into the bed next to Pepper, who immediately covered him up and gathered him into her arms.

"Is he alright?" she asked, her voice soft to avoid rousing him from what appeared to be a sound sleep, now.

Tony nodded.

"He almost went for a late night swim." He looked at Strange. "Thanks for the assist, Stephen."

Strange nodded.

"It seemed appropriate at the time. Who is _Spot_?"


	51. Chapter 51

When Peter woke he knew he wasn't in his own bed immediately. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the ceiling, but that didn't really tell him too much. When he rolled onto his side, he knew from the bed itself and the furnishings in the room that he was in Tony and Pepper's bed. Then he faintly heard Friday telling someone in the other room that he was awake.

So, he'd done the sleepwalking thing, obviously. Looking at his watch, it wasn't too late in the morning – only somewhat past 8 am, but it _did_ explain why he was the only one still in the bed. He wondered what had happened the night before, but even when he closed his eyes and tried as hard as he could to concentrate, he couldn't remember anything after he'd gone to bed. He'd just done some homework and went to sleep.

When he heard the door, he opened his eyes, and saw Tony, Pepper and Doctor Strange enter the room. Which really told him all he needed to know.

"What did I do?"

"You didn't _do_ anything," Tony told him.

"What happened, then?"

Obviously it had to be _something_ , or Strange wouldn't have been there. The plan for the day had been for him and Tony to drop Pepper at the tower and then go the sanctum to meet up with Strange and Wong. If the doctor was here at the compound, then he'd obviously done something.

Stark gave him a short summary of what had happened the night before and Peter closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm such a spaz…"

"What?" Pepper asked.

"You guys are nuts to put up with this," he said, opening his eyes and looking at them woefully.

"You're not doing it on purpose," Pepper told him. "Remember, I used to do it, myself…"

"You never woke up an entire base filled with people in the middle of the night looking for a dog you haven't seen since you were five…" he laid back and pulled a pillow over his head. "You should have just let me run into the river."

Stark leaned over and pulled the pillow away from him.

"That wasn't _funny_ , Peter."

"I know. I'm _sorry_." He _was_ , too. If only because now they _all_ looked worried about him. "A perfect example of why we can't have me at the tower, though, right?"

"Yeah."

Pepper leaned over, too.

"We'll figure it out, Sunshine," she told him, running her fingers along his cheek. "It's just a matter of time."

He nodded, and sat back up, looking down at himself and trying to lighten the mood a little.

"At least I'm still _dressed_ this time. Shirt and everything, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Shall we hold off on Wong's project for a few days?" Strange asked. "it's not that important, and if you're not feeling up to it…"

"I _feel_ fine," Peter told him, shrugging. "Foolish and embarrassed, but I'm up to giving those relics a look over for you guys."

" _First_ thing, though," Pepper told him. "You're going to go to your quarters and take a long, hot bath – with the jets on. Get yourself relaxed, and then meet us in the lounge for breakfast. Then you guys can drive me to work, and go check out Stephen's toys after that."

Strange rolled his eyes at having mystical relics referred to as _toys_ , but that only made Peter smile a little – which was almost certainly Pepper's intention.

"Go get ready for your day," Tony told him. "We'll see you in the lounge in an hour or so."

"Okay."

"And don't _ever_ let me hear you say anything like that river comment again. Understood?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

He got out of their bed on the side Pepper was standing on, and he hugged her before he left, trying to apologize for being so much trouble with the gesture. As if she understood, she held him close for a long moment before kissing his cheek and letting him go.

"Watch out for puppy poop," she warned him. "I hear they've been out on the loose already this morning."

He smiled at that.

"I should have worn shoes to bed last night."

He left and the three watched him go.

"Think he's okay?" Stark asked.

"You mean the river comment?"

"Yeah."

"He's fine, Tony," Strange told him. "We beat that sleepwalking thing once, we can do it again. That comment was from embarrassment and frustration, nothing more. I'm going to go find Natasha, and then I'll meet you guys at the sanctum."

"Okay."

"Before noon?"

"Definitely. We'll make him eat fast."

OOOOOOOO

The sanctum was as impressive as ever. Wong greeted Peter and Tony at the door before they even had a chance to knock – or ring the bell – and he led them up to the third floor library, offering them refreshments and making small talk. Peter was accosted by the Cloak of Levitation before he made the second step on the giant staircase, and happiness thrummed into his mind as it wrapped itself around him with as cheerful a welcome as anyone could ask for.

Strange and Wong seated Peter at their favorite table, and then had Stark sit off to one side, where Stephen was sitting as well. It was Wong's project, so he was letting the man run things, and would only observe and take notes. Tony was just an observer.

The cloak didn't move from Peter's shoulders, as if it understood that its job was to stick close to the boy and help him out if it became necessary.

"The first item is something of a control, Peter," Wong told the boy, bringing out what looked like a broach and setting it on the table in front of Peter. "We know what it is, for the most part, but want to see if it connects with you at any level. All I want you to do is concentrate on it and see if your sensitivities tell you anything about it. Then you just tell us what you're feeling. Sounds good?"

"Yeah."

The room went silent, and Peter looked at the object on the table. It was a little trickier than he'd thought, because the cloak was humming in his head, almost distracting him with its cheerfulness. He could feel the object was neutral – neither good nor bad – just _there_ , but what kind of neutral, he wasn't sure. It didn't tell him what it did, either, or anything about its history.

The fact that Wong knew, though, gave the answer. Peter could feel the Mind stone on the periphery of his consciousness and the gem simply told him what Wong knew. The answer flashed like a statement in his brain.

"That's the Sun Ray Lode Stone. Neutral and worshiped by people in the 15th dimension for its ability to capture the power of its sun and cause light. Basically it's a _flashlight_."

Wong looked impressed.

"You got all of that from the relic?"

"No. The _Mind stone_. I think it probably got it all from you and passed it on to me."

Strange snorted, amused, but not saying a word.

Wong scowled at him.

"Fair enough."

"We'll only be able to learn anything new about things that you guys don't already know about."

Wong made a grumbling noise, but nodded, and moved the first item and replaced it a moment later with what looked like a crystal platter, about the size of a Frisbee.

This time Peter sensed that it was neutral, but with a leaning toward the good. When he concentrated on it, that was all he got. Nothing at all like the way the cloak communicated with him.

"Neutral good is all I can tell you. Sorry."

"It's more than we had," Wong replied.

He took that away, made some notes and brought out another plate looking item – only this one was bronze and had weird writing on it. And felt a bit toward the bad to Peter. It also gave him an odd tremble in the pit of his stomach that made him feel a little ill.

"Lawful Evil… not nice."

"Pull it," Strange told Wong, who nodded and did as he was told.

The first thing that they had decided was that if Peter felt anything negative from the objects they wouldn't try to learn anything more about them – to protect him.

"You okay?" Stark asked, unable to keep still.

"Yeah. I'm good. Really. Let's see the next one."

OOOOOOOO

He sat at the table for several hours.

Most of the items that were put in front of him were neutral, or even good, in some cases. A few were put in front of him that were _not_. These were rejected by the cloak even before Peter got more than a simple tingle. Wong learned to watch the cloak's initial reaction to decide whether the object in question could remain on the table to give Peter a chance to try and evaluate it. If it wrapped Peter up, Wong moved the item. Otherwise, the boy would stare at it, concentrating on deciding what it was for, or what it did.

He didn't get a lot from most of them, and none were so powerful that it hurt him to be close to them. Obviously, he could say good, bad and neutral. A few items he felt like they were trying to connect with him – that there was something right there, like when a person was trying to come up with a word and it was right at the tip of their tongue but just not quite there.

One odd looking pendant warmed up to him, almost like the cloak did. It felt somewhat lawful neutral and purred almost seductively at him into his mind, but when he reached out to pick it up, the cloak slapped his hand away before he could. The purring turned into grumbling, but it was still not angry, just felt disappointed. Like the thing wanted peter to hold it, and was upset that it wouldn't.

It was weird, but he couldn't tell them what it did – and the cloak wouldn't let him try again to figure it out.

"What was that all about?" Wong asked.

"I think it wanted to get to know me, but the cloak wouldn't let it."

"Evil?"

"No. Just neutral in every way. Not bad. Not really good."

Wong made a note and took that away and then a moment later came back with what looked like a rock. Brown and somewhat round – about the size of a walnut and smooth. It screamed lawful good at Peter, so cheerfully that the boy actually smiled and felt the cloak hum a reply into his mind.

Wong noticed the reaction, but didn't say anything, waiting to even write his notes until Peter could give him some way to describe it.

Peter reached for the rock, hesitating long enough to see if his spider senses would warn him off, but he didn't feel any kind of threat coming from the stone and the cloak didn't seem to object, either, so he picked it up and held it in his hand.

He felt a question in his mind.

 _Where?_

The boy frowned, uncertain what it meant, and felt it repeated. Not urgently, just an idle question. This time he seemed to understand what it was asking – although he didn't know why.

He closed his eyes and pictured the Avenger facility, specifically the living area in his quarters. A moment later, he felt a waves of weakness and was suddenly standing behind the sofa in his quarters.

OOOOOO

" _What the hell!?"_

Stark and Strange both came to their feet immediately when the boy vanished from the library.

"Where is he Stephen?" Stark asked, already planning on taking advantage of the GPS spell that they'd created for the communication watches – the same spell that had told Strange where Peter was the evening before when he'd received the panicked cry from the boy.

Strange was already creating a portal when suddenly Peter was back, only now he was standing by the chair near the table instead of sitting. The portal vanished at the same time Peter sank into his chair, looking just a little tired.

"What happened?" Stark asked, crossing the space instantly and putting his hand on Peter to reassure himself that the boy was really there and that he wasn't injured.

"That was _crazy_."

"What was it, Peter?" Strange asked, also moving beside the boy.

"The stone?" Wong asked at the same time.

"Yeah." He set the rock on the table. "I picked it up and it seemed to be asking where I wanted to go. Next thing I knew, I was in my rooms at the compound. Then, I knew you guys would worry, so I told it to bring me back here."

"Aloud?"

"No. In my head."

"You're okay?" Tony asked, not convinced.

"Yeah. It didn't _hurt_ me," he assured him. "I just felt a little weak for a minute – both ways."

"How do you feel now?"

"Tired," he admitted. "But I'm fine. Nothing hurts or anything."

"So it teleports…" Wong said, picking the stone up.

"Yeah."

"And it probably uses some energy from the person using it to move them," Strange added, silently holding his hand out to Wong, asking for the stone.

"What do you feel?" Wong asked him when it was in his hand.

"Nothing."

"I didn't, either."

"What's the point of making a stone that won't teleport anyone?" Peter asked. "Try visualizing where you'd like to go. Maybe it'll move you even if you don't feel anything."

Strange closed his eyes, and a moment later, he, too, was gone. Less than a minute later he was back in the room.

"Where did you go?" Wong asked, curiously.

"Peter's room in the compound."

Strange sat down on the edge of the desk, understanding why Peter had said he was tired. _He_ was tired, too, now.

"Well," Wong said. "We don't know its _name_ , but we definitely know what it does."

"Yes."

"Enough experimenting for today, okay?" Tony suggested.

They both looked wiped out, and he'd taken a scare he didn't feel like repeating just then.

Wong nodded his agreement.

"Are you hungry? The least we can do is feed you two."


	52. Chapter 52

They declined the meal – although if Peter had mentioned that he was hungry, Tony would have stuck around and made sure he'd eaten something before they left the sanctum. As it was, though, they were done early enough that they could pick Pepper up from the tower and save her a lonely drive back to the compound and when Tony suggested it, Peter nodded his willingness to forgo lunch. They could always pick something up on the way to the compound to hold them over until dinner.

"Thanks for the help, Peter," Strange said as he and Wong both walked them to the door. "It might not seem like much, but with your help today, we were able to accomplish far more than I expected."

"And found yourself a cool teleport rock," Tony added.

Wong shook his head.

"I brought that from London, so I'll have to give it back to them."

"But he gets to tell them what it _does_ ," Stephen added. "That's a win."

"We definitely wouldn't have figured it out without your help."

Peter smiled, still feeling worn out – and he could tell that Strange did, too.

"I had a good time."

"See if they want to get rid of you for a while next week – or the week after," Strange suggested, with Tony close enough to hear. "You can come spend the night and we'll find some trouble to get into."

"You realize he doesn't _need_ help finding trouble, right?" Tony asked as they reached the door and he put his hand on the boy's shoulder, affectionately. "He's a teenager. It's second nature for him to find himself trouble."

"It's easier when there's magic involved," Strange pointed out.

"Get some sleep, Stephen," Tony told him. "You look tired."

"I will."

They said their goodbyes and got into Stark's car. As Peter buckled in, Tony looked over at him.

"You're okay?"

"Yeah."

"That teleporting rock didn't hurt you?"

 _Strange_ looked exhausted by it, and he was far more experienced with magical relics than Peter was.

"No, it just made me tired. I feel better, now, though. It wasn't _that_ much, and it was pretty cool. It almost felt like the cloak does. Cheerful, you know?"

"I'll take your word for it," Stark said, starting the car. "As long as it doesn't follow you home."

OOOOOOO

Pepper was waiting for them in the garage of the tower, and Peter climbed the seat and got into the back so she could have the front and be with Tony. She greeted both of them and when Stark asked her about her day – abbreviated though it was – she started telling him about things he didn't understand and people she'd spoken with that he didn't know.

He dozed off, leaning against the window behind Tony's seat.

Pepper noticed, of course, and she smiled.

"He looks tired."

Stark nodded.

"Him and Stephen both."

He described their time at the sanctum that afternoon, and the finale with the rock that had scared the liver out of him – although he played it down so she wouldn't freak out as much as he had.

"He had a good time, though?"

"Yeah. I think so. He likes that magic stuff. Probably because he can feel it."

"Did you feed him?"

"We decided that we'd rather come get you and stop somewhere on the way for a snack."

"Let's just go home. I don't want to wake him up to eat a couple of chicken strips or something."

"Not to mention he'll probably spill fries all over the back seat if he falls back to sleep before finishing them. We'd never get the smell of French fries out of the leather."

They both smiled at that, and he reached over and took her hand, placing it on his knee and holding it down with his.

OOOOOOOOO

Peter wasn't so tired that he didn't wake up when they pulled into the compound parking. He glanced over at his car, and smiled, automatically, and then got out of the backseat and shut the door, waiting while Tony opened Pepper's door for her.

"How was the nap?" she asked him, brushing her hand against his cheek.

"Good. Thanks."

"We'll eat in an hour or so," Stark told him, looking over at Pepper to see if she was okay with that. "Find something to do in the meantime that doesn't include homework, or vanishing into thin air."

Peter grinned and nodded.

"We're eating in the lounge," Pepper added as he headed for the outside exit instead of the one that led into the corridors.

The boy waved to show that he had heard and left them alone to walk to their quarters. He went outside, figuring that there would be some drills going on and he could watch them. They were always interesting – even though he had no intention of joining the military. There was definitely a precision that he liked to watch, though, and they never seemed to mind if he was there.

Instead, though, he found Steve and Natasha hanging out in the field alone – with the chocolate lab puppy, clearly trying to teach it tricks. Both smiled at him when he walked up, and the puppy barked and wagged his tail, running over to see what treat the new comer might have for him.

Despite his reluctance to become too familiar with either puppy just then, Peter reached down and picked him up, cuddling him and rubbing his belly and asking him who's a good dog.

"Not _him_ ," Steve told him, answering the question for the puppy.

Natasha grinned, and touched the puppy, first, then slid her hand along Peter's shoulder in greeting.

"Someone chewed up daddy's wallet."

"Really?"

Steve shrugged and nodded.

"And then he peed on it for good measure."

"Which is why we are _outside_ ," Natasha told him, obviously amused by the whole thing.

Of course, it wasn't _her_ wallet, or something else of hers, so she _could_ be.

"Where's the other one?" Peter asked, putting the puppy down so he could run around – and to avoid being accidentally peed on.

"Clint took him home."

"Really? _Already_?"

Natasha nodded.

"When he told his wife about the choice, she decided for him. She wanted the yellow one, and then told the _kids_ – so now he has to make a special trip home or they will just _die_ if they have to wait until Friday to see their new puppy."

"Apparently the kids want to name it _Nick Furry_."

Peter laughed at that.

"Does Nick know that?"

"I'm not telling him," Rogers said, equally amused.

"What are you going to name this one, then?" Peter asked.

"No clue," Steve admitted with a casual shrug. "He's an _Avenger_ , so we'll let the _Avengers_ decide. Maybe we'll do some secret balloting tonight and come up with some choices."

Natasha smiled, and pulled Peter into her arms for a quick hug now that he didn't have the puppy in his.

"How do you feel? You look tired."

"I am."

He told them both about the rock that had transported him, and the way he felt drained after, and they both frowned.

"Bet Tony didn't like that…" Natasha said.

"Not really."

Steve shook his head, easily imagining Stark's reaction to that, and then he scooped up the puppy.

"I'm going to go feed Sir Pees A Lot before dinner. I'll meet up with you guys later."

He left and Natasha looked over at the boy, brushing her hand along his cheek, looking concerned.

"You're sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Just felt like the energy was drained out of me for a minute. I napped on the way home, so I should be good."

"Stephen wasn't hurt, either?"

Peter smiled.

"No. He looked tired, too. That's all. He said he was going to get some sleep."

"Good. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah."

She hooked her arm through his and they headed for the door, just in time to see the puppy stop in the corridor ahead of them and leave a puddle now that he was inside and off the grass.

Rogers rolled his eyes and shrugged silently at them, and Natasha smiled.

"Now you know why I don't have a puppy."

Peter agreed completely, but he let her go and offered to go find some paper towels for Steve.


	53. Chapter 53

Dinner was spent thinking up names for the puppy. Of all of them Pepper was the only one who had ever actually named anything – having lived on a farm – but she had to admit that all of the creatures she'd named had ended up with boring ones, like Brownie or Patches. A compound dog would probably be better off with something a little better – or less descriptive. They decided to have everyone sleep on it and see what they had for ideas in the morning.

Then Peter had brought out the book he was supposed to be reading for homework and lounged on one of the sofas nearby while the others played cards, even though they invited him to play with them – and would have played a board game or something instead. He didn't really mind; he wanted to get the book read, and didn't feel like playing a game at any rate.

When he started to read himself to sleep, however, he got up and told them all that he was going to head to his rooms. He didn't really intend to go to sleep, but other work that he needed to do would be more interesting that the _Catcher in the Rye_ , he decided.

"Don't make any plans for tomorrow," Steve warned him, trying to keep the puppy from chewing the cards in his other hand.

"Why not?"

"It's a _secret_ ," Steve told him, mysteriously. "If I tell you, then I'd have to _kill_ you."

Peter grinned at that, and walked over to stand behind Romanoff's chair, putting her between him and Captain America.

"Natasha wouldn't let you."

"He's got you there, Steve," Pepper said, smiling.

"Not to mention, he's not _really_ a pushover, himself," Natasha reminded him.

Rogers shrugged, cheerfully, accepting that. He'd seen Peter sparring with the others, and had been his sparring partner more than once, as well.

"Still not telling…"

Peter rolled his eyes, leaned down and put his arms around Natasha from behind her.

"Do _you_ know?"

" _Maybe_ …"

She wasn't going to tell him, though, and he knew it. Which didn't annoy him at all. He knew that whatever it was, it was going to be something he'd be okay with. He could wait.

"Going to bed?" Stark asked.

"Going to my rooms."

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"We'll see you in the morning," Pepper told him.

Peter nodded, hesitated for just a moment and then gave _her_ a hug from behind, too. He didn't know if she wanted to get into a habit of good night hugs and kisses – he was probably too old for it and would just get _older_ – but he wanted her to know how he felt about her, and didn't know any other way to show it.

He wasn't that articulate.

They watched him leave the lounge.

"Clint will be back tomorrow?"

" _Early_ ," Steve confirmed.

"Good enough. You're not planning on being gone overnight, though, right?"

"No. Especially since we can't be sure he'd stay in his bed. I don't want to lose him in the Arizona desert."

"I can keep him in his bed," Natasha said, smiling. "But _you_ don't want to leave your new baby for that long, and we all know it."

"Uncle Tony will take care of him while we're gone," Steve assured her.

Stark rolled his eyes.

OOOOOOOOOO

It was much later when Natasha stopped by Peter's quarters to check on him.

As usual, she simply cracked the door open to see if he was in his living room, not wanting to invade his privacy, but unwilling to wake him up by knocking on the door if he was asleep. He wasn't asleep. He was sitting on the floor in front of the sofa, using it as a backrest and working on homework on the coffee table. She knocked, but he'd already turned toward her – most likely warned she was there by those spider senses of his.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked, walking into his living room.

"No. Just doing homework."

"It's late. You should go to bed."

Peter shrugged, watching as she moved around the sofa and sat down on it.

"I'm not sleepy."

"You _look_ sleepy."

He _did_ , too.

Romanoff patted the spot on the sofa beside her, inviting him to get up and sit with her and he complied, picking himself up off the floor with the natural ease of youth and sitting next to her. She put her arm around him automatically and he leaned into her side with a tired sigh. Yeah, maybe he was a little sleepy.

"You're not going to finish all that homework in one night, you know…"

"I know. But it's quiet and I can concentrate better."

"And you won't _sleepwalk_ if you're not _sleeping_ …?" she guessed.

"That too," he admitted.

"You know I'm here for you."

"Yeah, I know."

She could hear the hesitation in his voice.

"But…?"

He wavered, and then shrugged.

"But I don't want to get in the way."

"I don't understand, sweetheart. You _know_ you're not in the way."

Peter was blushing hotly, now, and Natasha couldn't figure out why.

"It doesn't matter," he told her. "Forget I mentioned it."

She snorted, and pulled away enough that she could look at him. The best way, of course, to read his expression. And she was a past master at reading people – him especially.

"Tell me."

"Natasha…"

" _Peter_ …" Her hands cupped his face, forcing him to look at her, but still he squirmed, oozing discomfort with the subject – whatever it was. She would have smiled, he was so embarrassed, but she was baffled – and never liked being out of the loop, so to speak. "Come on. Just tell me. _Please_?"

Which, of course, was his undoing.

He closed his eyes, though, refusing to look at her.

"If _I'm_ in your bed then _Doctor Strange_ can't be and I don't want to be in the way of that…"

She stared at him. Not a lot of things could surprise Natasha Romanoff, and if anyone else who knew her could see the look on her face, they would have smiled. Peter certainly had struck her dumb. For a moment, at least.

"How did you know about-?" she cut her own question off. He was a perceptive kid and she _knew_ it. She hadn't really made any secret of the chemistry between her and Strange, but the _physical_ part of their relationship was so new that she didn't think anyone knew about it, yet. _How_ he knew wasn't important. _That_ he knew wasn't even important, really, unless it caused awkwardness between them. It was the fact that he was worried about being in the way that concerned her and needed to be addressed. Immediately. He was blushing brilliantly, now, and his eyes were squeezed tight. "Peter, look at me."

"No."

She smiled at his embarrassment. This was not the boy who was so willing to put himself into her arms at any time, and would cuddle close enough to her that they could feel each other's heartbeat. But she didn't want that to change, so she was going to have to force him beyond the discomfiture so they could talk about it.

"Peter…"

He opened his eyes.

"I'm _sorry_."

"For what?" She smiled and kissed his forehead as she had a million times before. "Let me make this easier, okay?"

"Please."

Natasha gathered him into her arms and tucked his head under her chin. Now he didn't have to look at her, but they could still talk. Peter buried his face against her collarbone.

"So, you know about me and Stephen…"

"Yeah."

His voice was muffled, but she could still understand him.

"I won't ask how – because I'm almost afraid to _ask_. But I'm assuming you wouldn't be worried about being in the way if you were upset."

"Upset about what?"

"Me and Stephen."

He pulled away from her, looking.

"Upset?"

She shrugged, smiling to be having this conversation with him. It was definitely one for Tony – or maybe even Stephen.

"It's hard to share someone when you care about them."

He paused, then figured out what she was getting at.

"You're worried I might be _jealous_?"

"Are you?"

"No. I mean, _I_ can't sleep with you." He went brilliant red again. "I mean, I _could_ , but I can't. _Won't_ , I mean. It'd be _weird_. Wouldn't it?"

She laughed, and hugged him close again.

"If you were _older_ , it wouldn't be. But yes, I'm perfectly happy with the relationship we have, and I don't want it to change. Which is why we definitely need to make sure things are good between us."

"Yeah. No, they're _good_. But I want to _keep_ them that way, you know?"

"Which is why you're worried about being in the way when – _if_ – Stephen and I want to… um…"

"Hook up."

"Yes."

"Right." Again he buried his face so he wouldn't have to look at her. "I don't want you resenting _me_ wanting to be held by you if you'd rather be… um…"

"Hooking up with Stephen."

"Yeah."

"That's a fair concern," she acknowledged, brushing a kiss against the top of his head, since it was all she could see of him. "But one that _you_ don't need to worry about. When we – _Stephen and I_ , that is – want to be alone, it'll be at times that are convenient for us. That will almost certainly be times when you're not here, or when I'm over there. When _you're_ here and _I'm_ here, then I'm here for you, okay? If I'm not here at the compound, and _he's_ not here, then maybe it's not the best time to come look for me. Fair?"

Peter nodded.

"Okay."

"Feel better?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't have let yourself worry about that, you know?" she chided him. "The last thing you need is more stress, yes?"

"I know. But still…"

"Tell me next time something is bothering you, okay?"

"I'll try…"

If it was something as awkward as this conversation had been, it probably wouldn't happen unless she forced it out of him like she just had.

"Good." She pulled back so she could make him look up at her, again. "Now. Anything else we need to discuss?"

"No."

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Please?"

She smiled, hearing just a little desperation in his voice. Peter knew as well as she did that she could keep him from sleepwalking simply by being with him. She was more than willing to be used in that regard – in fact, she counted on it.

"Go get ready for bed," she told him. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Thanks, Natasha," he told her, hugging her once more before getting up and heading into his bedroom.

Romanoff shook her head and left his quarters to go to her own, and wondered who else had figured out the change in her relationship with Stephen. She wasn't going to ask Peter, though.


	54. Chapter 54

Peter slept soundly through the night for the first time in a couple of days. Cuddled right up against Natasha, and reassured by their discussion, he felt safe, and her very presence seemed to drive away some of the dreams that tended to plague him recently. Not that they were all _bad_ dreams – many of them had been good, but some dreams triggered his sleepwalking and that drove him out of his bed. This time, with her arms keeping him secure and her heart beating against his cheek in a hypnotic rhythm, he didn't dream of anything that he remembered.

The one time that he did shift in his sleep toward the early hours of the morning, she simply tightened her hold on him, murmured something softly into his ear and he was back to sleep in only moments.

Only when the morning sunlight was coming through his bedroom did he wake from a deeper sleep than he'd had in days, and even _then_ he might not have if not for the fact that something was chewing on his ear. He frowned at the unusual sensation and turned his head, opening his eyes slowly and just in time to be buffeted by a furiously wagging tail.

"No…"

He moved his head, pressing even closer to Natasha, although he wouldn't have thought that was possible. The sharp little teeth followed, only _now_ , one minute he was being nibbled on and then the next his ear was being licked.

Peter tried to duck his head under the blankets but the puppy followed. He tried to burrow under Natasha, pressing his face between her and the mattress, and heard a feminine giggle when the puppy switched his attentions from Peter's ear to Natasha's nose.

"Hey… wake up guys…"

"We're _sleeping_ ," Natasha told Clint, her hand coming up to fend off the chocolate lab puppy that was determined to chew her nose off with his sharp little puppy teeth.

"Peter?"

" _I'm_ sleeping, too," the boy pointed out, his voice muffled since his face was still against Natasha.

"You can sleep on the plane if you're still tired."

Peter turned his head, frowning up at Barton, sleepily, and noticed that Steve was beside him, watching as the puppy wriggled his way under the blankets between Peter and Natasha, now trying to find the warmest spot to settle in.

"What?"

"Don't listen to them, Peter," Natasha told him, tucking her head against the boy's neck, not quite ready to wake up just yet. "It's a trick."

Barton sprawled on Peter's bed, tucking up beside the boy and pressing against him until he threatened to push Natasha off the other side, puppy and all.

"Come on… we gotta get some breakfast and get dressed and get going."

"Where are you going?" Peter asked.

"Phoenix."

"Arizona?"

"No, Phoenix, _Montana_."

Steve smiled and rescued the puppy right before Natasha saved herself from falling off the other side of Peter's bed by rolling over, _onto_ Peter, first and then in between the boy and Hawkeye. Then she wriggled just right and knocked Barton back over the edge of the bed, and he landed with an indignant yelp.

"You're leaving?" Peter asked, more awake than asleep but still foggy.

"No," Rogers said. " _We're_ leaving. If you get woken up, get dressed, and come have breakfast so Tony and Pepper can reassure themselves that you _want_ to come with us and aren't being kidnapped."

"You _do_ want to come with us, don't you?" Barton asked, taking the puppy from Steve and holding him over Natasha, clearly threatening to have him pee on her if he could squeeze it just right.

"Yeah." He looked at Natasha, who had taken the puppy from Clint, and was cuddling it now. "Are you going?"

"Of course. Someone has to keep you guys from hanging out with the strippers."

"Get your flight suit on," Steve told him, taking his puppy back – who wagged his tail, furiously, clearly not minding at all that he was being passed around so much. "We'll have time for a little shopping if you want, but we won't bother to change into street clothes for it."

They figured he might eventually get tired of souvenir shopping, but every new city had a new shot glass for him to add to Tony's collection and they all knew it.

"We'll meet you in the lounge," Clint told him and Natasha, and he and Steve left, with the puppy.

Peter rolled himself out of bed, a little tangled in the blankets from the rough housing.

"How did you sleep?" Natasha asked, also getting up and running her fingers through her tangled hair.

"Good." He hesitated. "Did I sleepwalk?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"If you _did_ , you took me with you."

"Thanks, Natasha."

She cupped his head with her hand and pulled his cheek against her lips for just a moment.

"I sleep better when you're with _me_ , too, just so you know," she admitted, letting him go. "So thank you."

He smiled and she pushed him toward his dresser.

"I'll meet you in the hallway in fifteen minutes."

"Okay."

OOOOOOOOOO

Pepper and Tony were with Steve and Clint, already starting their meal, when Peter walked into the lounge with Natasha. The bartender saw them coming and waved both over to get their breakfast, which was ready, just being kept warm for them. Peter saw the puppy under the table next to theirs, chewing on the end of a pool cue that he'd ruin the evening before.

"Good morning," Stark told them as they sat down, his eyes on Peter for the most part.

"Morning."

"How'd you sleep?" Pepper asked.

"Good. Thanks. You guys?"

"Soundly."

Better than _they_ had in a while, too, since neither of them had had to get up and corral Peter back into bed, or were woken by him joining them in theirs.

"Up for a trip?" Tony asked, as Peter poured syrup onto his pancakes.

"Yeah. Are you coming?"

"No. I'm going to work in my workroom today and do some puppy-sitting, since Pepper doesn't want to take the scamp to work with her."

She smiled.

"I _would_ , but daddy wants a new fishing fleet, and I can't make you money if I have to keep picking up poop."

"Don't forget to take him outside and let him get some fresh air and exercise," Steve told Stark.

"I won't."

"And feed him."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"I will."

"Not _junk food_ , either."

"I _know_ , Rogers. I'll make sure he eats."

"And _play_ with him," Steve reminded him. "Don't just leave him to his own devices and expect him to amuse himself. It doesn't work that way."

"I can take care of a puppy for a few hours," Tony assured him.

"What are you guys doing in Phoenix?" Peter asked around a mouthful of sausages.

"We're going to spend the day dropping military jumpers," Steve told him. "They're bringing in several groups from different bases in various parts of the country to participate. We're working with the higher altitude flights, but some will be doing Special Forces drops, practicing lower altitude drops and emergency situations."

"This is one of those times that you're going to want to be watching from the _ground_ , Peter," Clint told him. "We'll put you in an observation area so you get the best view."

"Wow."

"Yeah. It's always a spectacle. And the Quinjet isn't even the most interesting _part_ , sometimes. The jumpers you'll be seeing are some of the best there are. Lots of people running around, dropping from the sky in formation, or with heavy weapons groups, colored smoke, simulated explosions. All kinds of controlled chaos."

"But you'll be keeping an eye on him," Tony reminded them.

"Of course," Clint told him.

"And you'll _feed_ him," Pepper added, looking at Steve.

'Yes."

"Not junk food," Stark said.

"I know, Tony. "We'll make sure he eats."

"And make sure he gets plenty of fresh air."

"We're going to be in the desert," Rogers reminded them. "All there is there is fresh air."

"And play with him," Pepper told them, her expression amused as Peter caught on to what they were doing and smiled. "Don't leave him alone to his own devices and expect him to amuse _himself_. That isn't how it works, you know?"

Natasha laughed.

"I can take care of a teenager for a couple of hours," Steve assured them both, also amused at the way they'd turned the tables on him.

At least he could trust Peter not to chew on the carpet.


	55. Chapter 55

Peter didn't sleep on the plane. He spent the flight watching the scenery below them when the sky was cloud free and watching the various gauges and readouts on the flight panel when it wasn't. He was copilot for Natasha – although he wasn't going to be allowed to fly this time. It was a level flight and only a few hours long so he even though they didn't do any aerials, he didn't have time to get bored.

Romanoff pointed out the mayhem even before they reached it. Clint hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said it was a spectacle. There were several miles of tents, open spaces and helicopters, and people.

"The planes are taking off from airfields further out," Steve told him over the jet's intercom. "It would be too dangerous for them to be doing it where so many different parachutists are coming down."

"We have _vertical capabilities_ ," Natasha told him after speaking with a control officer on the radio to be advised where to land. "So we can land _here_ , and don't have to shuttle back and forth."

Sure enough, as Peter watched, she brought the jet in low, hovered by an empty space and then followed directions from a landing coordinator and settled on a roped off landing area.

"I'll be right back," Steve said, reaching by Peter to slap the hatch open. "Help Nat with the post flight, okay?"

"Sure."

"He's going to get your all access pass," Natasha explained as Peter pulled out the checklist for after a flight and opened it. "That way you're not constantly being challenged when we take you off the jet."

He looked over his shoulder and saw that Clint and Steve had been greeted at the ramp by a large delegation of military people, men and women with all kinds of medals on their chests. Not a surprise, really, since it was _Captain America_ , after all.

"They won't give him a hard time about it?"

He didn't want to be a bother, but he didn't want to be stuck on the jet all day, either. There was a lot to see out there, after all.

"Are you kidding? The military guys will do anything for him – he's _Captain America_ , right?" She started on the checklist as he read it off. "We called ahead, though, to make sure they knew we were bringing you so we wouldn't have to wait for the admin people to get off their butts to set it up."

Sure enough, they hadn't even finished the post flight when Steve was back.

"Peter, come here for a minute."

He handed the checklist to Clint, who took his seat when he vacated it, and followed Steve to the ramp and out into the hot desert sun. Waiting for them was a much smaller delegation of military folk. Steve clipped a badge on the chest pocket of Peter's flight suit. It was red, with a green star and said _all access_ across the bottom. It even had Peter's picture on it, he was surprised to see.

Steve introduced him to one general, three colonels and four aide de camps. Peter wasn't expected to remember their names, he realized – which was a good thing – Steve just wanted to make sure _they_ knew who he was, so if any issues came up someone would be able to step up if one of the Avengers wasn't available for some reason. Not that he expected there to be any issues, but it never hurt to look ahead, just in case.

"He's a little young to be an Avenger," the general said, shaking Peter's hand with a genuine smile.

"He's still in training," Steve told him, just as Natasha and Clint joined them.

Natasha moved to stand beside Peter as the rest of the introductions were made, and the look she gave each of them as they met the boy made sure that they understood that she wasn't going to put up with any nonsense from any of them where Peter was concerned.

Not that the warning was needed. They _wanted_ the Avengers there, and were happy to have them joining in on their training week – even if only for the day. They'd certainly put up with a teenager in order to have the rest of them. Especially one that seemed to be a likable young man.

"If you guys will come with me, we'll introduce you to some of the other pilots so we can coordinate our jumps for the day," one of the colonels said.

"Sounds good," Clint said.

Natasha looked at Peter.

"Do you want to come to the briefing or go look around?"

"Can I look around?"

"Of course," the general told him before Natasha could reply. "Lyle will show you around."

Lyle was the general's aide de camp; a small, wiry lieutenant who wasn't all that much taller than Peter, and he nodded.

"Happy to, sir."

"If you need anything today, Peter, find _Lyle_ ," the general said. "Of course, I'm available as well."

Peter nodded his thanks, surprised by the courtesy but also a little flattered. Of course, it didn't hurt that he was standing between _Captain America_ and _Black Widow_ , but it was still nice of the general to tell him that he could seek him out personally.

"Thank you."

One of the colonels looked at his watch.

"We've scheduled lunch for 3 pm, if you want to check in with him then," he advised.

Steve nodded, and set his hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Have fun, and stay out of trouble, okay? If you need anything, call me or Nat. Clint will be piloting most of the day so we don't want to distract him if we can avoid it."

"Okay."

"You're alright?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah." He looked at the General's aide. "We'll be fine."

"Absolutely."

OOOOO

Lieutenant Harris – or _Lyle_ as he told Peter to call him – was a nice guy. He took Peter all over the military training area and wrapped in the mantel of the general's authority – and Peter's all access pass – he was able to go anywhere with the boy that he thought Peter might want to see firsthand.

As they walked around he explained what each group was doing, who they were, where they were form and what their specialties were. Peter surprised him by not showing any interest in the guns and heavy weaponry but when he thought back on the background that they had done on him to get his pass, he realized that living with Tony Stark and having full time access to _Ironman_ , he probably saw all of the best tech available already.

Peter _did_ stop when they went by a group of men and women who were having an impromptu contest with throwing knives, and pleased to have the chance to introduce him to them, Lyle introduced him to all five of the participants, only introducing the boy as 'Peter'.

Of course, all of them – three men and two women – recognized the Avengers logo on Peter's shoulder, and were immediately interested enough to greet him with more interest than they might if it was just some general's son or something.

"Want to give it a try?" One of the women asked, handing Peter one of her knives.

"The _pointy_ end goes into the target," one of the men told him with a grin. He wasn't really being a jerk about it, but for some reason Peter _did_ feel a surge of annoyance.

"Thanks."

He flipped the knife casually at the target, hitting the bullseye his first attempt, causing all of them to show their surprise. All but _Lyle_ , who preened – even though he hadn't had any idea that Peter had that ability.

The same woman handed him another, and his next throw landed right beside the first.

"Who taught you that?" she asked, still amazed, but obviously impressed.

"Natasha Romanoff."

Technically. The skill was innate, but Natasha had shown him how to throw a knife.

"Nice."

Whether the man who said it meant Peter's ability, or just a comment on Natasha herself, Peter didn't know. But he nodded.

They moved on and Lyle slapped Peter on the back, pleased at the way the boy had presented himself.

"You know," he said. "We could make a _killing_ on these guys if you wanted. I could set up a knife throwing contest and they would all bet against you – all but those five, probably. And even they might convince themselves that they weren't really seeing what they saw…"

Peter shook his head.

"I probably better not. Natasha wouldn't approve."

Although he was sure _Clint_ would love to see it.

OOOOOOOO

Lyle stayed with him until lunch. He took Peter to where Natasha. Steve and Clint were eating and left him with them, giving Peter his number and telling him to call him if he wanted to go see anything else. Peter had already told him that he was going to stay in the observation area to watch the parachutists landing for the rest of the afternoon, though, and knew he'd taken a lot of the man's time and really appreciated his willingness to spend that time with him. He didn't need someone watching him while he was standing in the same spot, though.

The others made sure that he didn't need anything, either, and Steve told him to eat his vegetables, taking on the responsibility that he'd Tony he would. They asked what he'd been up to and then told him about _their_ morning so far. He'd seen the Quinjet take off a couple of times, so he knew that they'd been up, but he hadn't really had a chance to watch the jumpers and Lyle had told him that the really interesting landings – the one with explosions and smoke – would be that afternoon.

After they ate, it was Natasha who walked with him to the VIP viewing area. She gave him an impish grin, waited until all the VIPs were watching them and then hugged Peter and gave him a full on the lips kiss that made him grin – especially after their conversation the night before – and all of the observers stare. Obviously Romanoff had no problem using her stunning looks to give Peter a little street cred boost.

"Call me if you need me," she told him, touching his chin as she left.

Peter nodded and looked around for someplace to sit out of the way. He found a chair next to a young Colonel that he hadn't met before. The man hadn't missed Natasha's kiss, and he grinned and held out his hand.

"Tell me you're dating her," he said, introducing himself.

Peter shook his head, not even thinking when he replied.

"I just sleep with her."


	56. Chapter 56

The viewing area was a perfect place for Peter to watch what was going on with all of the parachutists. Which was obviously intentional or all the high ranking people wouldn't be watching from there as well. Before the really interesting drops started, the colonel that had initially introduced himself – Colonel Ramsey Gradymatson – but who had told Peter to call him Grady – took the boy around and introduced him to several other people. A couple of senators, three more colonels and one general and an admiral.

The admiral looked at Peter's all access pass as she shook hands with the boy.

"You're _Tony Stark's_ boy, right?"

Peter shook his head, wondering how she'd known he even _knew_ Tony, but also if she did, how she didn't know all of it.

"I _live_ with him, but I'm not-"

"Stark is Peter's _guardian_ ," one of the senators interrupted, giving the admiral a disapproving look that made her scowl – admirals didn't care to be corrected. Especially by civilians. The senator didn't care, of course. "I heard about the circumstances, Peter," he added. "I'm very sorry for your loss…"

Peter felt a pang of sorrow that he couldn't hide, but he nodded.

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry, too," the woman interrupted – and she _did_ look apologetic. "It must be exciting. Living with _Ironman_ , I mean…"

Peter nodded.

"It has its moments."

The colonel ushered him away from that group as soon as was polite, and had a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Ignore that, Peter," the man advised. "Those two are always sniping at each other and her mistake gave the senator a perfect chance for a jibe. Politicians can be a pain in the ass, but they hold the purse strings, so we can't tie them all to a rocket and blast them into the sun."

Peter didn't know one way or the other, and that probably showed, too. He nodded and shrugged.

"Okay."

There was a sudden haze of red smoke from the area where the jumpers would be landing, and all the VIPs turned that direction.

"Come on, we'll watch from over here…"

OOOOOOOO

Despite being the center of the small spat between military and politician, Peter managed to have an extremely good time in the VIP viewing area, and was definitely glad that he was there.

The first wave of jumpers were dropped by a plane that seemed to be flying fairly low, and even as they landed, they were gathering up their chutes and pulling weapons – simulating an incursion into enemy held territory. There were some explosions to simulate enemy fire, and Peter heart was racing with excitement at the real life action that was in front of him – things he'd only seen in the movies, really.

The next wave were in a formation almost the entire jump, until they opened their chutes. They, too, landed with weapons at the ready, and once more colored smoke issued forth to give them the 'cover' that they would have needed if it was an actual combat scenario. This time the _flacka-flacka-flacka_ of a couple of helicopters added to the noise of the explosions as the aircraft flew directly overhead, also simulating battle conditions and giving some air cover to the people on the ground.

"Wow…"

The jumping continued, even past nightfall. Peter watched it all with interest – especially the two times that the Quinjet did flybys as Hawkeye and Natasha provided the simulated air cover for a group of Special Forces jumpers and then another specialized group of jumpers that the colonel with Peter described as coverts. Whatever that meant.

Lyle stopped by to check on Peter twice, and several times Steve did, as well – causing a slight sensation each time he appeared. Even big wigs could gush like school girls when Captain America was around. Each time Peter had assured them that he was fine, and the first time Steve came by Peter introduced him to the colonel who had been keeping him company.

The boy didn't know it, but he was making his own contacts. Contacts with the military – higher ranking, like the colonel – and lower ones, like Lyle Harris. Also high ranking politicians, all of whom now knew who he was and would remember him if some time in the future there was ever a need for Peter to seek one of them out – or for them to come to him out for something. Maybe an Avenger thing. Maybe a save the word in a different way kind of thing. And maybe they never would. But the base was there, now. Peter had the potential, just by the people he lived with – to be

 _Spiderman_ probably didn't need the contacts, but it would never be a bad thing that so many influential people – or people with the potential to become influential – knew Peter, and had an idea of what kind of person he was. It was even more important that he get a bit of exposure to these people now that he was so permanently connected with Tony and the Avengers.

The finale of the evening's demonstration was a barrage of explosions, jumpers and three more helicopters that were only barely visible in the dark, but could be heard quite obviously. Simulated gunfire rounded out the shouted orders of the people invading, and when the smoke cleared and the lights all came on in the viewing area Natasha and Steve both appeared at Peter's side.

"Did you have a good time?" Natasha asked, sliding her arm through Peter's.

He nodded with a grin, and introduced her to Grady, who found himself on the receiving end of one of Romanoff's most dazzling smiles.

"Clint is doing debriefing and then we'll be heading back. Do you want to run into Phoenix so we can find Tony a shot glass?"

"Yes, please." He thanked Grady again for spending so much of his time that day with him, and the colonel handed him his business card and told him to keep in touch.

A few other people also said goodbye to Peter – some simply to have a last chance to speak with Steve, others because they wanted to take another look at Natasha, and try to figure out just what the relationship was between her and the boy. She didn't enlighten any of them, but kept her arm hooked through his and eventually led him away from the VIP area and toward a car that was waiting for them.

They didn't have a lot of time, but Steve drove them to an open area marketplace that catered to tourists, and they had a late dinner. Then Peter and Natasha swept through the place like a wildfire, finding souvenirs for not only Tony, but for Pepper, Stephen and Wong as well.

Peter shook his head when Natasha picked out a brilliant orange shirt with a donkey climbing out of the Grand Canyon sweating profusely, wearing outrageously large sunglasses and carrying a very large tourist holding a flowered parasol against a bright sun – which was also wearing sunglasses.

Through Peter's travels, Strange was slowly building a collection of various coffee mugs. Natasha was occasionally adding to the doctor's collection of some of the ugliest t-shirts in the country, and she positively delighted in figuring out ways to get him to wear them. That one would be fun to see.

"We should head back," Romanoff said, carefully folding the shirt and putting it into a bag. "We're already behind schedule and you know how Tony worries."

Clint was ready when they returned the borrowed car and headed for the jet. He was finishing his own dinner and had already done the preflight checklist. Steve took the copilot seat and Natasha and Peter settled in for the flight back, stowing their purchases under the bench seat they were sitting on. Romanoff patted her thigh, well aware that Peter was tired, and he stretched out along the seat, putting his head on her leg and allowing the thrum of the jet and the hand she rested on his shoulder lull him to sleep almost before they took off.

OOOOOOOOO

Steve Rogers tapped Romanoff lightly to wake her from her doze, and pressed a finger against his lips to avoid waking Peter, who was still asleep. It was late, and they had hit some crazy weather over the plains, but Natasha had managed to get a nap during the flight, too.

"I'll carry him up to his bed," Rogers told her, scooping the boy into his arms carefully. "You got his bags?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

She got up and stretched, and then slapped the ramp release. They waited side by side while it lowered, joined almost immediately by Barton.

"I'm taking tomorrow off," he told them both.

He'd pretty much been flying all day, after all.

"Sounds fair."

Before anyone could say anything else, the lowered ramp revealed Tony Stark, standing at the edge of the pad, waiting for them with a chocolate lab puppy sleeping securely in his arms, drooling on his hand. He hadn't been worried about them being late – he'd been in contact with Clint and Steve both, so he knew they were fine and that they were headed home – but he wanted to check on Peter. And he was definitely ready to hand over puppy sitting duties for a while.

Steve walked down the ramp with Peter asleep in his arms and stopped in front of Stark, looking at the sleeping puppy Tony was holding.

"Was he good?"

"He ate one of Pepper's thumb drives. We called the vet. It should make an appearance in a couple of days. She hasn't decided if she wants it back or not. Peter?"

"He had a good time."

"Did he eat?"

"Of course. Did _he_?" Steve asked, looking at the puppy. "Besides the thumb drive, I mean."

"Yeah. And he pooped. _Everywhere_."

"I'm not going to be able to give you a report on Peter for that one, sorry."

Natasha smiled at that. _And_ at the fact that both men looked adorable holding their sleeping burdens. Especially since they were holding the wrong ones and couldn't really trade without dropping them.

"Bedtime, guys," she said, gesturing for them to head for the building. "You can brief each other tomorrow."


	57. Chapter 57

"Is he okay?"

Tony nodded, sitting at the table across from Pepper, who was finishing her breakfast before heading out for her day.

"He's asleep."

"In _his_ bed?"

"Yeah. Natasha's with him."

"If anyone can keep him in bed, she will."

"True." He smirked. "Peter and _Stephen_ both…"

Pepper raised an eyebrow at that comment.

"Oh? What do _you_ know that I don't?"

Stark gave her his best condescending look.

"A few things, I imagine."

"About Stephen and Natasha."

"I don't _know_ anything," he admitted. "But the speculation is rampant."

"They're a good match," Pepper said, approvingly. Not that either _needed_ her approval. "Did you tell Steve about the thumb drive?"

"He said he'll watch for it."

"I don't want it back, Tony. I told you, _you_ let the puppy eat it, _you_ can get me a new one. Or, even more amusing, you can retrieve my data from the one he ate and put it on a new one for me."

"Ugh. Maybe Friday can scan the puppy and retrieve it…"

She smiled at that.

"He needs a name. Did you tell Steve that? We can't keep calling him you little bastard…"

Tony rolled his eyes.

"It was only _once_ – and I said it with a caring voice."

That much was true, Pepper had to admit. Even while trying to catch puppy pee in one palm to save the carpet and scooping up the puppy in the other hand, Tony hadn't even raised his voice. Another example of the difference a little personal growth could make. The puppy had only wagged his tail and finished what Stark had interrupted and had then went for a romp outside with Tony.

"What are you doing today?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Depends. If the new tires come, we'll put them on the Pontiac. Maybe test them out with a drive. Otherwise I have some work to do on the newest version of the communications interface with my suit. If Peter wants, we'll work on a streamline version of his web shooter. Or he might _sleep_ all day."

"Don't forget his appointment tomorrow."

"No, we won't."

"Did they have a good time yesterday?"

"Romanoff said he did."

She smiled.

"I have to admit, I missed having him to come home to after working."

"Yeah, me too." He shrugged. "I _was_ going to say don't tell him, so he doesn't get an inflated ego about it, but it's probably something he needs to hear right now, I imagine."

Besides, it was true.

OOOOOOOOOO

It was Stephen who ended up waking them.

When they'd returned the night before, Tony and Steve had woke Peter enough to get him out of his flight suit before telling him to go to bed. Still more asleep than awake, the boy had done just that, and had fallen asleep again fairly quickly.

He'd woken only briefly again a short time later when Natasha had joined him in his bed, unwilling to count on the exciting and busy day to keep him tired enough to stay in his bed. Cuddling him against her side, they'd both fallen asleep and had slept through the night.

She'd woken when Stark had come in to check on Peter, and decided that it was time to start her day. And then had fallen back to sleep instead; warm and comfortable enough to just stay where she was a little while longer.

Now, though, gentle fingertips brushing against her cheek drew her from her morning nap and made her open her eyes. She looked up without moving her head and saw Strange smiling down at her.

"Are you going to sleep all day?" he asked her, softly.

"I might." She turned her head and looked down at the boy sleeping beside her. "We got in pretty late last night."

"That's what Tony said."

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

"Yes. Wong is going to London today. I thought you might want to come and finish that tour."

"Among _other_ things," Peter murmured, sleepily, not even really awake, yet, just responding to the conversation.

Strange frowned, but Natasha smiled, amused.

"He knows…"

"He _does_? How? Did you tell-"

"He's Spiderman and he hangs out with spies and super heroes," she pointed out. "Not to mention he's really observant."

"He had a _hickey_ ," Peter explained, still not opening his eyes, but shifting against her just a little.

Romanoff smiled.

" _Busted_."

"You're all right, Peter?" Strange asked.

The boy nodded and now he _did_ open his eyes, looking up at Strange, but then pressing himself back into Natasha's embrace, his cheek once more against her collarbone.

"Yeah. But I'm going to cuddle with your _girlfriend_ a little while longer…"

She smiled at that, and the doctor shook his head, also amused. Then he reached down and covered Peter's eyes with his hand before leaning over the boy to kiss Natasha.

"I'm going to go have coffee with Tony. Come find me when you're done."

"Might be a while," Peter warned him, still sleepily. "I'm pretty _good_ at cuddling…"

"That he _is_ ," Natasha agreed, pleased that she and the boy had had the conversation about her relationship with Stephen. It made this scene amusing and not at all awkward for the two of them – and Stephen seemed to be handling it well, also. "You'll be in the lounge?"

"Most likely. Tony told me that he plans on working on Peter's suit today, so if we're not in the lounge then we'll be in his workroom."

"Okay."

Another kiss and Strange left, and Peter sighed into Natasha's neck.

"I really do want to go see what he wants to do with my suit…"

She smiled.

"And I'm _hungry_. Guess we'll have to get up, then, huh?"

"Yeah."

OOOOOOOOO

Stark was playing chess with Stephen in the lounge when Peter and Natasha walked in. They were nursing coffee and Strange had a half-finished plate of toast beside him. Both of them looked up when they arrived.

"Good morning," Tony told them.

Peter smiled and sat down on one side of the table, and Natasha sat on the other. The boy handed Stark a shot glass with the city skyline of Phoenix on it, and Strange a coffee mug with the same skyline blazoned on it. Both men admired their souvenirs with murmurs of thanks.

Natasha handed Stephen the bag with the t-shirt she'd found and he rolled his eyes when he opened it and looked at the shirt, then held it up for Tony to see.

"That is a _fine_ shirt," Tony said, approvingly.

Strange just shook his head, but Romanoff smiled.

"Glad you like it, Tony," she told him. "I got one for you, too."

"You didn't…"

The look of near panic was especially amusing, and she shook her head.

"No. I didn't."

He shook his head, and looked over at Strange.

"See what you're getting yourself into?" he asked.

Stephen nodded.

"I'll take my chances."


	58. Chapter 58

They spent the morning in the workroom.

Tony wanted a way for Peter to always have a web shooter available to him. The thought of the boy sleepwalking in the city and stepping off the tower really frightened him – especially if it happened and Stark wasn't there to go Ironman and catch him. He decided that if Peter had a web shooter, he'd at least have a chance – although that, too, was scary and obviously would give away the boy's secret.

Better to have it out in the open than have the boy seriously hurt, though. Or _worse_.

Tony didn't mention that, though, when he told Peter what he was thinking about doing. He just told him what the endgame was, not the actual reasons. He asked Peter his opinion about the best way to accomplish that, though, because he wanted the boy to understand he was a part of the process – and besides, Peter was smart enough to be an actual asset in the workroom.

Their two options that they came up with were to simply add the web shooter to Peter's watch, somehow, for his left wrist and leave it at that – which wasn't the best choice, really, since the web shooters worked best when there were two – or to make a special bracelet to conceal the web shooter on the right and still use the watch on the left. Peter didn't mind the idea of a bracelet on one wrist – as long as it didn't look girly – but he preferred to not have one on each wrist. It was a little more jewelry than he was used to.

And it could possibly pinch between the watch and the bracelet.

They tinkered until lunch, but didn't have a working prototype by the time Tony decided to call it a day in the workroom. He liked having Peter to himself like this, but wanted to make sure that he had other things to occupy himself as well. He suggested a driving lesson after lunch and Peter had agreed, enthusiastically.

As they ate in the lounge they discussed the next day, and Tony reminded Peter about his doctor appointment the next day.

"We'll go to the appointment, and drop Pepper at the tower, then you and I can find something to amuse ourselves in the city – or even in the tower – until she's done for the day. Sound good?"

"Yeah." There were plenty of things that they could do, he knew. "Do you think it would be okay to invite Ned to spend the night tomorrow?"

"Of course. It sounds like a good idea." He was pleased Peter was starting to open up enough to make his own requests about the schedule ad what he was doing. "For the weekend?"

"Depends on his mom. She might need him."

"And MJ?"

Peter blushed, as Stark had known he would, but shook his head.

"I want Ned to bring me more homework if he can come, and I can't concentrate enough to get it done if she's there."

"There's more to life than homework, Peter."

"Yeah. But, no. Just Ned."

Tony nodded, hiding his amusement.

"Call Ned tonight and see what his mom says. We can pick him up after we get Pepper tomorrow and save a drive out later."

"Okay, thanks."

"Ready to go for a drive?"

The boy's grin was answer enough, and they headed for the garage.

OOOOOOOO

"Just be _cool_ …"

"Okay."

"Let me do the talking."

Peter nodded, gripping the steering wheel as he watched the police officer approach the door in the rearview mirror.

"Okay."

"Roll down the window," Tony reminded him.

Peter did, just as the officer reached his door.

"Do you know how fast you were going?" the police officer asked, automatically, as he looked at the boy behind the wheel of the Lamborghini.

"Um. No, officer."

" _Fifteen miles_ an hour…" the officer told him. "The speed limit is 55 here, son."

"Oh."

"License, registration and proof of insurance, please…"

OOOOOOO

Pepper shook her head, amused and mortified at the same time, while Clint, Bruce, Steve, Strange and Natasha all chuckled as Tony regaled them with the story of their first driving lesson. They were in the lounge, everyone getting together for the _official_ vote on what to name the new puppy, but before anything else, Tony had had to tell them how their day went.

It was too good a story to pass.

"Tell me that he didn't get a _ticket_ …?" Pepper said.

"No. Between Peter's big, innocent puppy eyes and me proving to him that it was my car – and the promise that we'll make him drive _faster_ next time, he simply got a warning."

"Good."

"And the offer of the use of the state patrol's test track to keep him off the road until we're ready."

"That was nice of him."

"Yeah, I thought so, too."

He gestured to Steve, silently giving him the floor and Rogers handed the puppy in his arms over to Natasha so he could hand out small pieces of paper and pens.

"So. Secret ballot. Majority wins." He looked pointedly at Stark. "No obscene or dirty words."

Stark gave him a bland look and then nodded, writing his choice immediately on his paper before folding it and putting it in the hat Clint had produced. The others followed suit, and each put their paper in the hat, as well.

When they had all voted, Steve reclaimed the spot beside Natasha and pulled the papers out of the hat, one at a time, and reading them off.

"Jack. Jack. Jack. Jack. Jack. _Fuzzy_. Jack… and Jack."

Natasha looked at Peter, who had an unreadable expression on his face.

" _Fuzzy_?"

The boy shrugged, realizing that _they_ had all decided on a name that he hadn't even thought of but a name that made him feel sad and proud at the same time. Had his dad had his way, Peter's name would have been Jack, and so would their family dog's. All of them had seen the video his parents had made him, and because of that, _they_ all knew that.

They wanted to honor that, and the puppy had been the perfect way to do it.

"I've never named anything before," he pointed out, his voice breaking.

"Jack's a good name," Steve said, picking up the puppy and giving Peter a chance to pull himself together, knowing the boy wouldn't want them to make a big deal out of the show of emotion that he couldn't suppress. "Huh, big guy?"

The puppy wagged his tail and tried to lick Steve's face, but was tucked into his arm instead.

"We'll lowjack his collar now that he has an official name," Tony told him. "That way if he wanders off, Friday can find him."

You couldn't be too careful, really. The puppy had a microchip, already, but that didn't carry GPS capabilities.

They broke up, everyone heading their own direction before meeting again for dinner, and Pepper took the spot that Natasha left beside Peter, hooking her arm around him.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"We'll need to leave here around 8am tomorrow."

"Okay." He hesitated. "What do I tell the doctor?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't tell him who I _am_ , right?"

"Of course you _can_ ," Tony told him. " _He_ can't tell anyone, and it's a major part of you. If you want to tell him, go ahead. If you don't, then don't."

"Don't be _nervous_ about this, Peter," Pepper said, brushing a kiss against his temple. "You've done the psychologist thing before. This time is no different from when you were little. It's just someone for you to talk to."

The boy nodded.

"Okay."


	59. Chapter 59

Pepper was right.

Meeting the psychologist wasn't something that Peter needed to be nervous about. At least, not meeting the doctor himself. They arrived more than a few minutes early and the receptionist offered them all coffee. Pepper and Tony accepted, Peter declined the coffee, the hot chocolate and the orange juice that he was offered and sat nervously on the leather sofa beside Tony, trying to keep himself from telling them that they should just go and come back some other time.

When the psychologist came into the room to meet them, Peter had worried himself enough by then that he literally flinched when they called his name. Tony put a calming hand on his shoulder, frowning at just how nervous he looked.

"It's okay, Peter."

"I know."

Doctor Bird was a huge guy. Easily 6'7 and probably 210 pounds, he was a rugged looking guy with a blonde crew cut and a thin wispy mustache who definitely looked as though he should be playing football or wrestling on TV and not wearing the suit that was so sharp looking it might have come out of the same tailor that Strange used. He introduced himself to all three of them, and his voice was deep but gentle. When he turned to Peter, his smile was welcoming and genuine, and he didn't try to squeeze Peter's hand to a pulp when he shook it.

"It's nice to meet you, Peter," he told the boy. "I'd like to talk to Tony and Pepper, first, and then I'll call you into my office, if that's all right?"

"Yeah. Fine."

Peter sat back down on the sofa, gingerly, and watched as Tony and Pepper vanished into the office with the doctor.

"Don't look so nervous," a woman who had been seated close enough to observe the interaction told him. "My daughter comes here, and they are top notch. He's a big guy, but not scary once you get to know him."

Peter nodded, but his mouth was too dry to do much more than that, and certainly not up to carrying on a conversation.

OOOOOOOO

They were in the doctor's office for almost fifteen minutes before the door opened and the three of them reappeared. The doctor waited by the door until the two adults had seated themselves back onto the sofa and then gestured for Peter to come into his office.

"We'll be right here," Pepper assured him as he got up.

The office was decorated in muted colors; mostly tans and browns. There was a desk, with a leather chair behind it and a couple of similar ones on the other side, and a sofa that was a fair match for the one Peter had just left.

"Sit down, Peter," Dr. Bird told him, gesturing to one of the chairs.

The boy did as he was told, looking around.

"You seem nervous."

"What? Yeah. No, I'm fine. I guess."

"There's no reason to be worried," the doctor assured him, taking his seat behind the desk. "Or nervous. There are no wrong answers here, I promise you."

"Okay."

He must not have sounded – or looked – too convinced, but Bird had probably met a hundred kids who started out nervous with him. Some because of his profession, others because of his size. He'd win the boy over, eventually, he knew.

"First off, I'd like to know if you mind if I discuss with Tony and Pepper what we talk about. It's completely up to you, of course. We do have doctor/patient confidentiality so I can't tell them anything unless you tell me it's okay to do so."

"I don't have any secrets from them," Peter told him with a shrug. "It's fine."

"Let's just talk, then, okay?" he asked. "I want to get to know you a little, and give you a chance to learn something about me."

He told the boy some of his history, what his family had been like when he was a child, where he had gone to school and his likes and dislikes – everything from the sports he played (golf and football) the vegetables that he hated (carrots and broccoli) and the fact that he wanted to be a painter, but didn't feel he was creative enough to try it.

Then he turned the tables and asked Peter about his own likes and dislikes, drawing the boy out as he described the clubs he had been in at school – although he'd quit most of them, and was probably falling so far behind in school that he wouldn't be able to stay with the few that he still was in.

"Tony told me that you play chess."

"Yeah."

"Can we play?"

Peter nodded, and the doctor brought out a chess board and lost the first game fairly quickly. While they played the second game – which he lost as well – he asked the boy some questions about living with someone as famous as Tony and what did it feel like to hang out with Ironman and others, like Captain America and the Avengers.

He didn't ask anything too probing, and smiled at the story that Peter told him about being pulled over during his driving lesson with Stark the previous day. Which led them into a discussion about the car his dad had left him and the video his parents had made for him. He told Peter that Tony had mentioned the video and asked if he could watch it. Since Peter had it recorded onto his phone, it was a simple matter to pull it up and let the doctor watch it. Which he did, silently.

"What an amazing treasure to find," he said, softly, as he handed the phone back to the boy. "You look a lot like your father."

Peter nodded.

"Yeah."

"You lost them when you were very young, I understand."

"Yes."

"And your aunt raised you?"

Peter nodded, mutely, fighting down a wave of sorrow that he couldn't help.

"She did a good job," Bird told him, understanding that he wasn't going to get a reply. "I can tell that just by the little I've learned about you today."

"Thanks…"

He wasn't sure how to respond to that, and felt the sting of tears.

"I'd like to talk about her," Bird said. "Next time we meet. She seems like a remarkable person."

"Okay."

The doctor stood up and offered Peter his hand.

"It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Thanks. You, too."

"Will you ask Tony and Pepper to come back in for a minute? I won't leave you waiting long out there, I promise."

Just happy to escape the office without bawling like a three year old, Peter nodded and left the room.

Tony jumped to his feet the minute the boy showed himself at the door and watched as he walked over to them. Pepper stood as well. Both were concerned, because Peter looked upset.

"You okay?" Tony asked him.

"Yeah." Peter nodded. "He wants to talk you guys."

Pepper hesitated.

"Want me to wait with you?" she asked him. "Tony can talk to him."

He shook his head.

"It's okay. I'll be right here."

She brushed a kiss against his cheek and left him in the waiting room while she went in to the doctor's office with Stark and Peter sat back down on the sofa and wished fervently that he had that teleporter rock with him so he could pretty much be anywhere than where he was just then.

An instant later, it was in his hand and he was so shocked that he almost dropped it. Quickly, he clenched his fist around it, and looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but the room was fairly empty and the receptionist was talking to the only other person there just then and neither was looking his direction at that moment.

The cheerful tingle in his mind wasn't at all concerned by his surprise or consternation.

 _Where?_

He shook his head, and firmly told it that he didn't want to go anywhere just then.

"Shit."

OOOOOOOO

"Well?"

The doctor smiled. He already had Tony Stark pegged as impatient and concerned. Put them together and it wasn't a surprise that he was waiting to hear the solution to Peter's problems.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy.

"He's an amazing young man."

"Yes, he is."

"And he loves you two very much."

Tony's expression softened, and he reached for Pepper's hand almost automatically.

"He said that?"

"He didn't _have_ to."

"What can we do for him?" Pepper asked. "He's so stressed."

Bird nodded.

"I can tell. Really, I'm surprised all he's doing is _sleepwalking_. Most of the times, people who worry as much as he does tend to stop eating, suffer from headaches and panic attacks and stop sleeping entirely."

"He's had panic attacks before," Tony said. "Just not in months. And not since his aunt died."

"He definitely has concerns about being left behind. Certainly from losing his parents, and more recently, his aunt. You didn't mention any nightmares…"

"He hasn't mentioned any to us. Not recently. Odd dreams, sometimes, but nothing with people chasing him, or anything like that as far as we know."

"Well, I definitely want to see him again. Regularly, I think. Once a week, for now. More often as we get more comfortable with each other."

"That's fine."

"If he _wants_ to," Pepper added.

"Of course."

"What can we do about the sleepwalking, in the meantime?" Stark asked.

"Keep him active. Don't give him time to sit and worry. He's concerned about his homework, so make aa set time every evening for him to work on it so he feels like he's accomplishing something as far as it is concerned. It might not be a bad idea to have a meeting – with him there – with his teachers, so they understand he's going to be out of school a while longer and can reassure him that he's not falling behind."

"So you don't think sending him back to school will help?" Pepper asked.

"No. I think sitting in classes for 8 or 9 hours a day would be a bad idea right now. Like I said, activity is probably going to do more for him right ow than anything else. Wear him out and make him tired enough at night that he doesn't have the energy to sleepwalk. You have him staying with the Avengers, right? There must be plenty there for him to do that will keep him busy."

"We can find something."

"Good. I want to see him next Friday."

"Fine."

The doctor stood up and shook their hands.

"It was nice meeting both of you."

"Thanks."

They turned and left the office, with Tony still holding Pepper's hand, and Peter stood up as soon as the door opened, looking more anxious than he had only a few minutes before. Almost _scared_. Tony frowned.

"Are you okay?"

The boy looked over at the receptionist and nodded.

"We need to go see Doctor Strange…"


	60. Chapter 60

A psychologist reception office wasn't the place for any kind of discussion about magical relics appearing out of nowhere. Pepper sent Peter and Tony to the car and stopped at the receptionist long enough to set up the next appointment for Peter before joining them in the parking garage.

By then Tony had been shown the stone in Peter's hand.

"Where did it come from?" Tony was asking as Pepper got into the car.

"I don't _know_ ," Peter told him. _Them_. "I was waiting for you guys and wishing I was anywhere else and it was suddenly in my hand and asking me where I wanted to go – just like the last time. I had to tell it I didn't want to go _anywhere_ , several times."

"Good thing you did," Tony said, approvingly, starting the engine. "I can't even imagine what would have happened if you'd vanished in front of the receptionist. It freaked _me_ out when it happened, and I'm familiar with the reality of magic. Good job."

Peter was surprised by the response. He thought Tony – and maybe even Pepper – would be worried about what had happened. Or upset enough to ask why he hadn't wanted to be in the doctor's waiting room in the first place.

He nodded, and Pepper looked back at him.

"Are you all right?"

"It doesn't hurt," he assured her.

She smiled and shook her head.

"I mean how do you _feel_? What did you think of Dr. Bird?"

"He's okay."

"He thinks you're _stressed_ ," Tony told him, watching him in the rearview mirror as they pulled out of the parking garage and he turned the car toward the sanctum. The boy looked worried, as always, and a little paler than he normally did. "What does _he_ know?"

Peter snorted, amused, and managed to relax even more.

"He told you that?"

"Yeah. We'll talk about it more later, okay?"

Traffic in New York wasn't really the time to have any kind of serious conversation.

"Okay."

They didn't drop Pepper off at the tower, first. She wanted to hear more about the rock, and wanted to feel out Peter's first appointment with the doctor. They'd worry about that once they returned the stone.

OOOOOOOO

Friday was interfaced with Stark's car and called ahead through the watch Stephen wore, and as such, he and Wong were both waiting at the door for the three of them when Tony parked his car in front of the sanctum. It was magic of its own that Tony - and _Natasha_ \- could always find the spot in front of the building vacant. Strange met them at the car and opened Pepper's door for her, giving her a smile and keeping her hand once he'd helped her out of the car and closed the door.

"Welcome to the sanctum, Pepper."

She smiled, too.

"Thank you, Stephen."

"Morning, gentlemen," the doctor told them as they headed to the door that Wong was holding open.

"Good morning," Tony replied.

Peter started to say the same thing, but was immediately engulfed in heavy fabric and happy crooning into his head as he crossed the magical threshold of the building and was greeted by the Cloak of Levitation, which wrapped him fully and started rubbing his cheeks.

"So, what's going on?" Strange asked as he guided Pepper to the kitchen with the others following and offered them coffee.

"Peter?" Tony said, looking at the boy, who was finally able to free his hand enough from the cloak's attentions to reach into his pocket and pull out the stone and hand it to Wong, who was closest.

"Where did you get _that_?" Strange asked, surprised.

"Popped into my hand this morning at the doctor's office."

"Did you summon it?" Wong asked, looking down at it.

"I don't know," the boy admitted. "I was waiting for the doctor to talk to Pepper and Tony, thinking I'd rather be anywhere else, and the next thing I knew it was in my hand asking me where I wanted to go."

"So the question is, did the _mind stone_ use your magical abilities to bring the stone to you, or has the teleportation stone attuned itself to you and reacted to your wish and teleported _itself_ to you?" Stephen said.

"Yeah. I guess so. I didn't do it consciously."

"We _talked_ about this, Stephen," Stark reminded him.

Strange rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure the stone isn't in love with him, Tony," Strange assured him.

Pepper smiled, and took Peter's arm, cloak and all.

"I can't imagine why not. _I_ certainly am."

That made Peter smile, as she surely intended it to.

"At least it isn't a toaster – or something huge, like a _refrigerator_ ," Wong added.

"That could be useful, though," Stark pointed out, winking at Peter. "A fridge that fills itself with the food you like the most. Why isn't _that_ a thing, Stephen? Have you guys found one of _those_ , yet?"

Strange's look was one of long suffering – Pepper had worn it a time or two herself, so she recognized it, immediately.

"I'll let the people in London know, so they can come get it."

"You're going to leave _Peter_ out if it, though, right?" Tony suggested. "I don't want them standing on our doorstep every time their rock goes missing."

"Of course." Strange turned to Peter. "If it happens again, call me and I'll save you guys the drive."

"We were in the city, already," Pepper told him. "And I've never been here, so it gave me a reason to come check out your place."

"I'll give you a tour," he offered.

Peter suddenly was seized by a coughing fit, thinking – but definitely not _saying_ – that Tony should probably go, too, or the tour might not make it beyond the second floor.

Strange must have known what he was thinking, though, because he smiled and he shook his head, reaching out to pound the boy's back, even though he hadn't taken a drink of the juice Wong had placed in front of him when they'd arrived in the kitchen.

"How did the doctor appointment go, Peter?" Wong asked, curiously.

Peter cleared his throat and shrugged.

"Okay. He didn't put me on his couch, or anything, so I guess it wasn't what I was expecting…"

"You didn't want to be _there_ , though?" Tony asked, looking at the rock that Wong had placed on the kitchen island.

"I didn't want to be in the _waiting room_ ," Peter told him, honestly. "All we did in the office was talk and play chess, but the waiting room is nerve-wracking…"

"Why?" Pepper asked.

The boy shrugged.

"It just is. To _me_ , anyway. Everyone else is probably _fine_ there."

He was the one seeing the shrink, after all. They all probably already thought he was crazy.

"He had you waiting while he was talking to Pepper and Tony after the appointment?" Strange asked.

"Yeah."

"Then I can imagine it _would_ be troublesome for you," Stephen told him. "You were probably worried that you'd failed some test or something and they were being told how you did."

Which proved just how well he'd come to know Peter, and how insightful he was, because after a moment of thinking about it Peter nodded.

"Yeah. That might have been it…"

Tony frowned, thinking that through and nodding as well. He had to admit – again – that Strange was pretty brilliant. He would have figured it out, he was sure, but probably not as quickly.

"We won't do that, again, then," he promised the boy. "I'm sorry."

Peter shrugged.

"You didn't do it."

"How about that tour, Stephen?" Pepper suggested. "I've decided to take the day off, so I can spend time with the guys, instead."

"Of course."

He offered her his arm once more, and they left the kitchen with Peter and Tony following, the Cloak of Levitation mumbling cheerfully in Peter's mind, letting the boy know how glad it was to have him there.

Wong waited until they left, and then looked at the stone sitting on the counter. He took several steps back and closed his eyes, thinking to himself how much he wished he were somewhere else. Concentrating with all his copious ability, he finally opened one eye and looked back. The stone was still on the counter, ignoring him. He frowned, and went over and picked it up.

Maybe the next time Peter was spending the night, they could borrow the thing from London to try a few experiments.


	61. Chapter 61

They stayed at the sanctum through lunch. Strange showed Pepper a fair amount of the sanctum, including the third floor library, the Cloak of Levitation's display case and the room that was Peter's whenever he spent the night at the place. He also showed her where the Time stone was kept, even though he didn't actually open the room. No sense risking anything with Peter so close at hand. She had to admit that the place was definitely impressive and, as Peter and Tony had both told her, it was a lot more like a museum than an actual residence.

Then they had lunch in the kitchen at the island, and the conversation went back to what the psychologist had told Pepper and Tony in his office after his first meeting with Peter.

"He told us that he's not surprised that Peter sleepwalks. He said he was surprised it wasn't _worse_ , really."

"Oh?"

"As much as he's been dealing with? Yeah." He looked over at Peter. "Our job is to help you feel less stress and to do what we can to keep you from sleepwalking if we can."

"Which you've already been working on," Strange pointed out.

"Right."

Peter sighed, feeling like a burden to everyone around him.

"Talking it out with Dr. Bird will help with the stress, I imagine," Tony added. "We'll do what we've been doing, and add a few things."

"Like what?" Wong asked, curiously.

"He thinks activity and structure might be the key," Tony told Strange – and Peter. "Homework every day to help you keep up – which should lower the stress we all know you feel when you start getting behind – and keep you active the rest of the day. Wear you out during the day and you'll stay in bed at night."

"Sounds exhausting," Stephen said, shaking his head. "Let me know if there's anything we can do to help."

Peter just nodded. He wasn't going to argue with anything that the doctor told them to have him do, but he was worried that it wasn't going to do much to help. He was anxious to make the sleepwalking stop, though, because he was well aware that Tony and Pepper would be more comfortable in their apartment at the tower than their quarters at the Avenger's compound – no matter how nice they were. It would certainly save Pepper a drive every day to get work done.

"We could just tie me to my bed or something."

Pepper smiled at that, wondering if Tony had mentioned what her own father had done to her when she had been a sleepwalker. Stark shook his head, though.

"With _your_ abilities? It wouldn't work." He must have noticed the hopelessness in the boy's expression. "Don't sweat this, Peter. We'll do what we need to do, and get through this. Then it's back to superheroing, okay?"

"Yeah."

"I mean it."

"I know."

"Is superheroing actually a _word_?" Strange asked.

"He makes them up wherever they are needed," Pepper told him.

She was used to it.

OOOOOOOO

Ned wasn't able to spend Friday night at the compound because his mother needed him at home to watch his little brother. He was going to come on Saturday instead. So after eating, Tony ushered his little family into the car and headed back to the compound.

"What do you have for homework?" Tony asked as he maneuvered the car through the busy city traffic.

"Mostly English," Peter answered from the back. "Natasha's going to loan me her laptop to write the papers I need to – and I have to finish _The Catcher in the Rye_. I also have to make up some kind of experiment for science, but I haven't had too much chance to think of something that isn't a paper volcano or something equally boring."

"So you're not _that_ far behind, really," Pepper pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm doing okay." He'd been working hard to get it done, after all. "Ned told me he'll bring whatever I have left to catch up on when he comes on Saturday."

"Do you want to go get him tomorrow?" Tony asked. "We could take the Pontiac instead of sending Happy."

Peter smiled at the thought of his friend's reaction to the car. He hadn't told him about it, yet, wanting to make it a surprise.

"You're not too busy?"

"Nope. It's Saturday."

"That would be great."

"The new tires came in this morning, apparently," Stark told him. Between Happy and Friday, Tony was rarely out of the loop when it came to what was going on between the tower and the compound. "We'll put them on tomorrow morning and then go get him before lunch."

"Okay. Thanks."

Tony nodded, and reached for Pepper's hand while they drove, turning on the music playlist that he knew she preferred. Peter leaned back into the leather of the seat and watched the scenery going by as they drove back to the compound.

He should be happy, he knew. They were incredible to him – especially considering all the problems that he brought them – and were always there for him, he knew. Between the sleepwalking, the fact that he was messed up enough to need a shrink, and now the magic issues, too, he knew he was more trouble than he was really worth. The problems weighed heavily on his shoulders, but he didn't have a solution for any of them.

Which was stressing, too.

OOOOOOOOO

It was still early afternoon when they reached the Avenger facility, and Jack came running out to meet the car, barking happily as Tony parked the car in the garage. Peter smiled and picked the puppy up when he made a beeline for the boy, and Jack wriggled happily at the attention. Peter hugged the puppy, resting his chin on the little brown head for a moment, until Jack squirmed, unable to hold still just then.

"Come up to the workroom when you have a minute, will you, Peter?" Pepper asked as Tony opened her door for her.

"Okay."

He greeted Steve, who had been warned by the barking and had come to make sure the puppy wasn't being too much of a pest.

"How'd it go?" Rogers asked the boy.

All of them knew he'd had an appointment that morning, and that he'd been a little nervous about it. He knew they were all interested in learning what they could do to help him. Peter hadn't forgotten that he'd woken everyone up looking for a nonexistent dog while sleepwalking, and knew that they were getting even less sleep than he was because he couldn't stay in his bed.

"Good, I _think_. Tony said that the doctor told him some ways to maybe help me stop sleepwalking."

"That would be a relief," Steve said with a smile. "I worry about you, sometimes."

"Me, too."

He rubbed Jack's head once more, and handed the puppy to Steve and said he'd see him later.

OOOOOO

Tony and Pepper were waiting for him next to a cabinet against the far wall. When he walked in, Pepper opened the cabinet – which was just one of many in the room – and Peter saw that it was filled with all kinds of supplies. Printer paper, writing tablets, loose leaf paper, pens, pencils, tape of every kind – including duct tape of several different colors – file folders, batteries, smoke detectors, and a stack of boxes, including three brand new laptops and a few tablets.

"We should have thought about the fact that you'd need a laptop here," she told him, pulling a laptop box down and handing it to him. "The tower is set up for you as a permanent home, but the quarters you have here are really more designed as short termed, I know."

"If you ever need anything, just come here and get it, okay?" Tony told him, sitting on the edge of one of the tables he used for tinkering. "You don't need to ask. This is _your_ place, too, you know? We could set you up a section for your own experiments, if you think you'd like that."

Peter didn't know what to say to that. The place was a techie's heaven – obviously, since Tony almost certainly designed it that way for himself. Free access to it seemed unthinkable, really.

"Thank you."

Pepper took the box from him and set it on the table beside Tony, and then put her arms around Peter, somehow knowing that he needed the support. The boy rested his forehead on her shoulder and hugged her back.

"How do we keep you active?" She asked him, pressing her cheek against his. "Do you have a preference?"

"Whatever is easiest for you guys."

"That's not what she asked, Peter," Tony told him, chiding him gently. "Once we figure out the things you most want to do, we'll make a schedule out of it and try to stick to it and see what happens. During the week, anyway. When the weekend comes, all bets are off."

If Tony had his way, Ned and others would spend time at the compound every weekend while they were here. Peter needed to have fun, not just be active.

"What do you enjoy the most?" Pepper asked him, pulling away so she could see him better. "Sparring with Natasha and the others, playing in the pool and driving lessons every chance we can get you behind the wheel. What else?"

She'd pretty much listed everything that he wanted to do, but he knew she was asking for more, and he shrugged.

"Football?"

"Good choice."

"And puppy wrangling when Steve can't be there to do it," Tony added. "You guys might get together and see about teaching him some tricks."

"Yeah."

Stark looked at him for just a moment, remembering what Bird had said about Peter loving them, and he felt a great rush of affection and love for the boy in front of him. Losing May was not the way he wanted to be able to spend more time with the boy than he already had, but he couldn't imagine him being with anyone else if he couldn't be with _her_. He remembered his promise to do everything that he could to do right by him, and wanted to keep that promise.

"I'm going to ask you something," he said. "And give me a straight answer… okay?"

Peter nodded.

"Okay."

"What stresses you the most?"

"What?"

"Out of _all_ of it," Tony told him, seriously, folding his hands on his lap as he watched the boy. "What worries you, or bothers you, or scares you the most?"

Peter hesitated.

"It's okay," Pepper said. "We need to know, Peter."

Then they could fix it. Or at least steer _Dr. Bird_ in that direction to start fixing it.

"That you guys regret saying yes to May," he replied, honestly, feeling the sting of tears, both from the possibility that it was true, and from the memory of the day that May had asked Tony to take him. A day that had been so terrible and also had cemented his relationship to Tony – which could only be good as far as Peter was concerned. He was just worried that Tony hadn't thought it through and was now wishing he had hesitated, first, before making that pledge. "It can't be fun for you; dealing with me and all the problems that come with me."


	62. Chapter 62

He lowered his gaze to the floor, unwilling to see if their expressions showed that he was right. His own spider senses didn't seem to be helping, but in this kind of instance, they wouldn't, and he _knew_ it. They would tell him if there was danger coming, or something else that he needed to know about, but this wasn't the same thing.

Surprised, Tony looked over at Pepper, whose eyes glinted with unshed tears, and he gestured to himself, telling her that he was going to answer the boy. This was definitely something for him to address – especially since he was the one who had initially made the promise, and the commitment.

"Peter…"

He waited, but the boy wouldn't look up at him, and Tony reached out from his sitting position on the edge of the table and touched his chin.

"Hey? Look at me, son…"

Peter looked up at him, forlorn, and Stark brushed his hand against the boy's forehead, pushing his hair back.

"May gave us an incredible gift, Peter, when she asked me if I'd take you in. She could have chosen _anyone_ , you know? Including some people who are a lot more responsible, and a lot more mature than I am. Instead, though, she chose me, and I couldn't be prouder, and happier, and more humble because of that.

"Does that gift come with some problems? Yeah. Some are more serious than others, but none of them are enough to make me wish – _ever_ – that she had chosen someone else to see you through this. To see you grow up, and to see what kind of man you're going to turn out to be."

Tears welled up in Peter's eyes and coursed down his cheeks, and Tony reached out and brushed one away with his thumb, his own eyes holding none of the cynicism, sarcasm and bored egotism that sometimes – and even, often – could be seen in his expression. Only sincerity and love that until then was almost exclusively reserved for Pepper.

"Problems aren't fun, okay? But _you_ most certainly are, and you are worth dealing with those problems. So we'll deal with them. _Together_. All of us. Not just me and Pepper, but the rest of them, too. You're our idiot, and we're the village."

Pepper frowned at that, despite her own tears, and Stark rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"He knows what I mean." He looked at Peter. " _You_ understand what I'm telling you, right?"

Peter nodded, wiping his eyes with his forearm.

"Yeah."

Tony pulled the boy into his arms, holding him closely and pressing his cheek against Peter's, his hand brushing against his temple, keeping his head where it was.

"It's a learning time for all of us," he murmured to Peter. "We'll probably have some bumps – even once we've figured out the sleepwalking thing – but don't _ever_ think that we regret having you here. Because it isn't true. It'll never be true."

Pepper saw Peter bring his hand up silently, brushing his fingers against Tony's jaw and chin, and she took the few steps needed to put her arms around them as well, and felt Tony shift enough to bring her into his embrace.

"We love you, Peter," she told him. "Don't doubt it for a minute."

"And if you _do_ , tell us," Stark added. "We'll tell you, again. And again. Until you can't help but believe it."

They held him like that until he was ready to pull away, and even then, they didn't let him go far.

"Tony's right," Pepper told him, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief that Stark had handed her. "This will be a learning thing for all of us. Like us not realizing you needed a laptop, and you not knowing where to find one. We'll figure it out, though."

"Together," Tony added. "Okay?"

"Okay."

"So…" Tony cleared his throat and may have wiped a tear or two of his own away. "Why don't _you_ go set up your new laptop and get it synced with the compound network and then come find us? We'll find something to do until dinner, and then after we eat, you and I will get Bruce and see if we can come up with some kind of experiment that will knock your science teacher's socks off."

"She doesn't usually wear socks…"

He rolled his eyes and cuffed Peter's shoulder.

"Smart ass. Go on, before I feed you to Jack."

Peter nodded and picked up the laptop box and left them, and Pepper, took the place that he'd vacated, and leaned into Stark's chest, silently asking to be held – which he was more than willing to do.

"You know, you're getting pretty good at the whole dad thing…"

He smiled and brushed a kiss against the top of her head.

"I watched the video," he told her. "And saw how it was done."

He might watch it a few more times, too. Richard Parker knew how to be a father, even from the beginning. Tony Stark knew he could learn a few things from the man.

OOOOOOO

They were in the lounge playing cribbage when he rejoined them, and Natasha was with them. She smiled a greeting to him as he sat down, and asked him about the doctor visit, and Doctor Bird specifically, wanting a description of the man himself, and what Peter's impressions of him were.

Knowing that Natasha was interested in that kind of thing, and understanding that even the simple question was her own way of training him to be able to observe the world around him and report on it, Peter told her about the appointment. He described the doctor, the office, the waiting room and even the receptionist – although he was surprised that he really remembered her, since he'd been so nervous.

"Tell her about the rock," Tony suggested, moving the little peg on the game board.

"What rock?"

Peter shrugged and explained what had happened with the teleportation stone, and how it had ended up in his hand.

"You didn't go anywhere, though, did you?" she asked.

"No. It asked me where I wanted to go, and I had to tell it not to move me anywhere."

Romanoff smiled, and nodded her head.

"Very good! That's discipline, you know? You didn't want to be there, and you had the easy way out, and still stayed where you were. Good job, Peter."

He smiled, but had to shake his head.

"I was worried I'd freak out the other people in the room."

"Would have freaked me out," she admitted. "But it was still the right way to go."

"Thanks, Natasha."

"You want to play cards, Peter?" Tony asked. "We can switch to something else."

They all knew Peter didn't get cribbage. He shook his head, though, and pulled a paperback book out of his back pocket.

"I'm going to try to finish _Catcher in the Rye_."

"Is it any good?" Natasha asked, taking it from him and looking at the back for a description.

"It's confusing," he told her.

"That's the one where the kid keeps asking about where the ducks go when the water freezes in central Park?" Tony asked.

"Yeah."

"Weird book."

"It's a _classic_ ," Pepper told them, gathering up the cards. "All about saving and holding onto innocence. Even though he misquoted the poem he was trying to refer to, he was still trying to catch the children who were falling…"

"You want to write my paper?" Peter asked, hopefully.

"Not a _chance_ ," she told him. "It's good for you to try and figure out what the story is trying to tell you."

"You just did," Tony pointed out.

"He can make it his own."

Peter gave a sigh that was filled with long suffering and abuse that only made all three of them smile, and he got himself a soda from the bar before lounging himself onto the sofa that was closest to them. He knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the book with them playing cards too close at hand, and as odd as the book was, he needed to be able to concentrate. He _did_ wish he'd thought of bringing a pillow, though, and he ended up using his arm to rest his head on while he read.

Tony was in the right spot at the table that he was able to watch what Peter was doing without seeming to be watching him at all. His eyes followed the boy the entire time he went to the bar for the drink, and when he settled on the couch and started reading.

Pepper and Natasha both knew what he was doing, and neither missed the softness in his expression as he regarded the boy that was now the center of his life. He frowned when he caught them watching him, and cleared his throat.

"We should probably order a few more cushions for the couches in here."

Pepper just nodded her agreement, and they went back to their game.


	63. Chapter 63

"No."

"Come on, Steve. It'd be _interesting_."

"I'm not going to let you experiment on Jack," Rogers told Bruce. "I've _read_ the _Island of Dr. Moreau_ and-"

" _With_ Jack, not _on_ him," Bruce corrected, looking at the puppy that Steve was cuddling. "We'd never do anything to hurt him."

"He's _already_ got the thumb drive in him," Stark pointed out. "We'd just want to send the cameral to see what it's been seeing…"

Steve looked at Peter, who was watching the conversation, and then at Pepper and Natasha, who were also watching, but were clearly enjoying the debate to judge by the twin amused looks on their faces.

"Let me get this _straight_ ," he said, mainly to Bruce, who had initially suggested the idea for Peter's science experiment. "You want to feed him a camera, and watch as it makes its way through him?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, we'd be using an interface with Tony's AI, so it'd be a lot more than simply watching the progress-"

"He's a _baby_."

"We're not talking about a polaroid camera, Steve," Tony reminded him. "The camera we'd use is a lot smaller than the thumb drive – and he didn't have any problem getting that down."

"We'll even put it in a piece of cheese, or something," Bruce added. "That way he gets a treat out of it."

"Then what? Who has to collect the camera when it's made its journey?"

"No one," Bruce said. "They dissolve. Doctors have been using them for years to track medical malformations. They're harmless."

"Then you guys eat one and track the progress in your own stomach."

"Jack already ate the _thumb drive_ ," Tony reminded him – again. "The experiment is halfway there already."

"Even better, since it's _Peter's_ experiment, he will collect the thumb drive when it makes its reappearance," Bruce added.

Steve looked over at Peter, who nodded.

Fair was fair, after all.

"It won't hurt him?"

Stark shook his head.

"I'd never _hurt_ him. You know that."

"Fine. But only because it's for Peter."

The boy smiled at that.

"Thanks, Steve." He took the puppy from Rogers and cuddled him, easily, with Jack's tail thumping against his side.

"You got the camera, Tony?" Bruce asked, looking over at Stark.

"Yeah."

A moment later the lab puppy gobbled the cheese wrapped mini camera without even realizing that he was participating in any experiment – and probably without tasting the cheese, it went down so quickly.

"So Friday will give us all the data once the camera passes through Jack's stomach," Bruce said as they all sat down at the table, with Peter still holding the puppy. Now they were watching the display on Bruce's laptop. "When the thumb drive shows up – _tomorrow_ , maybe? – we'll be able to see what kind of damage it took going through Jack. Since he's a baby, it might be different than if he were an adult, but the information should still be worth an A for Peter."

"Thanks, Bruce," Peter said. "It's a good idea."

And not one Tony or Peter had thought of.

"Well, we scientists have to stick together, right?"

Steve shook his head, and reached for the puppy in Peter's arms.

"I'm going to take your science experiment and go to bed," he told the others. "I'll let you know when you can start looking for your thumb drive, okay?"

"Okay."

Peter decided he was going to go to bed, too. His day had started early, and had been an emotional rollercoaster for him. He was tired. Besides, Ned was coming the next day, and he knew he'd be up late the next night. He stood up.

"You all right?" Tony asked, almost automatically.

"Yeah. Just tired."

"Okay. We'll see you in the morning, then."

"Good night."

They watched him leave and Bruce put his laptop aside.

"Pinochle?"

"Sounds good."

OOOOOOOO

 _He slept almost immediately. But he wasn't alone. The jewel that was often at the peripheries of his awareness reacted to his inner thoughts and had only been waiting for his mind to settle so that it could show him what it thought he needed to know._

 _Peter saw an image of Tony. And then felt a surge of love and caring – and pride – that he knew was directed at him from the man. Tony Stark had told him multiple times that he cared about him. Had even said he loved him a few times, Peter knew. And Peter_ believed _him. Tony didn't have any reason to lie to him. But he was proud of him, too, and Peter hadn't known that._

 _He also could feel concern for him. Stark wanted nothing but the best for Peter, and the sleepwalking worried him. But that wasn't a secret. He and Peter had discussed the dangers of being in the city sleepwalking. That was the whole point of being at the compound. And Tony didn't even mind that they weren't at the tower, as Peter had feared. It gave him time to be close to the other Avengers, and Tony loved them, too._

 _Even through the worry, and the concern, though, just like Tony had told him just that afternoon, there was absolutely no regret that he had taken guardianship of the boy. Sorrow at the loss of May, yes, and sorrow for Peter that he'd lost someone who had loved him so much._

 _There was no doubt that Tony loved him and wanted him, and even asleep Peter felt flush with contentment._

 _The image changed and now it was Pepper. The same as with Tony, there was no doubting the choice to have Peter with them. And, like Tony, there was some concern for the boy, and worry that they were doing everything that they could to help him, but she didn't mind being at the compound any more than Stark did. She would drive twice as far every day if it meant being sure that Peter was safe._

 _He stirred slightly in his sleep, thinking that it wasn't right to be able to see the inner thoughts of those that he loved, but the images didn't fade. The mind stone didn't care about right and wrong the same way that the boy did. Its interest was in_ Peter _, and it had finally figured the boy out enough to know what he needed to see to make him stop panicking and stressing._

 _The images switched, and this time it was Natasha that Peter dreamed of. Natasha who was a killer in every sense of the word. Beautiful and dangerous. Deadly. Trained from childhood to be ruthless and cold, and then able to rise above that training to be what she wanted to be. But still carrying the lessons that she had learned with her._

 _It wasn't safe to love. She knew that. That love was a weakness to her, and a danger to the one she cared for. Anyone could use that love against them. But Natasha loved Peter. Had given herself to him as wholeheartedly as he had given himself to her. He knew that she would do anything for him, fight anyone for him and take on the world for him if he needed her to. She loved him as much as Tony Stark did, and because of that, Peter knew that she didn't mind that he ended up in her bed more nights than not._

 _She would hold him as long as he needed her to, and then even longer, because being held was something that Natasha needed, too. She just had to be so careful who she loved that it was safer not to love anyone._

Peter woke with a start, and felt a hand brush against his cheek and her warm body sliding into his bed beside him. The images in his mind were fading, but the surety lingered. He was very much loved and wanted. Not some foundling to be put up with until he was able to take care of himself, but someone to be nurtured and cherished by those around him.

"Shhh… it's just me."

He closed his eyes, and cuddled against her, his arm moving to hold her against him, his hand brushing her cheek, trying to assure her that he was there for her even as he was falling asleep again.

"Natasha…?"

"Hmmm?"

She sounded almost asleep, too.

"You love me…"

Romanoff nodded.

"Yes."

"I love you, too."

She smiled at that, and tucked his head under her chin.

Soon they were both asleep.


	64. Chapter 64

It was just before lunchtime the next day that Tony and Peter picked up Ned.

The boy was out front of his apartment building, with his backpack slung over one shoulder and a small duffel bag on the sidewalk next to him, but he was obviously not expecting the car that they showed up in. He watched it as they approached, but only when it stopped did he realize that Peter was the one in the passenger seat and Tony Stark was driving.

"Get in, Ned," Stark told him, double parking in front of the building.

"Wow…"

Ned picked up his bag and got into the backseat.

"Nice car, Mr. Stark. When did you get it?"

"It's _Peter's_ ," Tony replied, smiling at the boy's enthusiasm.

"No _shit_?" he reddened. "Sorry, Mr. Stark."

"It's okay."

"Is it a birthday present?" Ned asked Peter, well aware that Peter had – technically – won the car of his choice from Stark in a chess game, even though Peter told him that he had no intention of collecting that particular bet any more than he had planned on owning the sanctum when he'd won it from Strange pretty much the same week. "It's bad, dude."

"It is," Peter told him, turning around in the front seat to look at his friend. "But not what you think."

"Did you have lunch yet, Ned?" Tony asked, pleased at Peter's reaction to Ned's reaction to the car.

The boy had been almost happy all morning. Not _cheerful_ , really, but the talk that they'd had must have eased some of his concerns, because he hadn't looked worried, or even uncertain, all morning. They'd had breakfast and then uploaded the images that the camera had provided so far from its journey through Jack, and then he and Peter had gone to the garage and put the new tires on the Pontiac, including putting the new spare tire in the trunk as well once they checked it to make sure it was sound.

He hadn't been exactly jovial on the drive into the city to pick up Ned, but he had discussed a schedule of activities that they were going to try in order to keep him occupied enough to hopefully help with the sleepwalking, and he hadn't been more than a little reluctant to put his own ideas forward when it came to suggestions for what he and Ned could do while his friend was at the compound that weekend.

"Not yet," Ned told him, still admiring the car, and running his hands along the leather seat and checking all the interior. "This thing is beautiful, Peter. Too bad you can't drive it, yet."

"I'm getting driving lessons, though," Peter told him.

"In _this_?" Ned asked, dubiously. It was much too pretty to risk totaling it in an accident.

"In the Lamborghini."

"Good."

"How long until you're 16, Ned?" Stark asked.

"Three months."

"We'll teach you to drive at the compound, too, then – if it's all right with your mother."

"Thanks."

"Do we stop for lunch on the way?" Stark asked, returning to his initial topic of conversation – although he completely understood the distraction the car could be. "Or wait until we get to the compound?"

"I could eat anywhere," Ned answered.

"Yeah, me, too," Peter agreed.

"We'll stop somewhere, then. You brought swimming trunks?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

"Is this a kit?" Ned asked, returning to the car, and looking over Peter's shoulder to check out the dash.

"It's a long story," Peter told him, once more turning so that he could see Ned. "It used to be my dad's. He got it from my grandpa…"

He told his friend the story as they drove out of the city, and by the time they'd stopped at a fast food place for lunch, Ned had seen the video that Peter's parents had made for him and was shaking his head – and wiping a few tears, himself.

"That's amazing, Peter," his normally exuberant friend said in a soft voice. "Wow."

"I know."

"You look a lot like your dad."

Peter couldn't get tired of hearing that, and he smiled.

"Yeah."

"Get behind the wheel so I can take a couple photos for Facebook."

They took more than just a _couple_. Ned took photos of Peter behind the wheel, then himself behind the wheel, had a selfie of the three of them in front of the car and even had a stranger take a photo of them with Peter sitting on the hood, Tony and Ned flanking him.

Then Peter took a picture for the stranger of the man standing in front of the car with Tony, since he'd recognized Stark fairly easily. By that time a small crowd had formed, all attracted to the car, first, and then to Tony Stark.

It was a bit later than they had intended by the time they reached the compound, and Jack came running up to the car to meet them, barking a greeting as they pulled into the garage.

"Oh my God!" Ned said, excitedly, getting out of the car. "You got a _puppy_?"

"He's _Steve's_ ," Peter explained, grinning when Ned scooped Jack up and cuddled him, letting the lab lick his face and eyes and chin without complaint. "He says he's for everyone, but he sleeps with Steve, so we all know better."

"What's his name?" Ned asked. "Freedom? Justice? _Lieutenant America_?"

"Jack."

Ned smiled at that, catching on immediately.

"Like your dad wanted to name you – and Spot."

"Yeah."

"Get Ned settled, Peter," Tony told him. "Explain to him your science experiment, too, and then decide if you guys want to play in the pool, or if you want to do the Quinjet simulator, or video games."

"Is _Natasha_ here?"

"Yeah."

"Let's swim."

Peter wasn't the only one to smile at that, since he and Stark both knew that Ned had a crush of his own on Black Widow, and that Ned knew very well that pretty much any time _Peter_ was in the water, Natasha wouldn't be far away if she wasn't busy.

"Take Jack to Steve on your way to your quarters, okay?" Tony told Peter, reaching into the back of the car and tossing the boy Ned's backpack and duffel bag, both of which Peter caught easily.

"Yeah."

"I'll see you at the pool in half an hour."

OOOOOOOOO

"How are you doing?" Ned asked Peter as they left the garage and headed for his quarters.

"I'm okay, I guess."

"What's it like living with Mr. Stark?"

"He's great."

"Good thing you're Spiderman..."

"Why?"

"So someone can't kidnap you and hold you for ransom. You'd be worth _millions_ , I bet."

"Think so?"

Ned shrugged.

"I'd kidnap you for the _car_."

Peter hadn't thought of that. He shrugged, though, because Ned was right; he was _Spiderman_. No one could kidnap him.

"That's probably true."

"Still sleepwalking?"

"Yeah. All the time."

"Did you see the shrink?"

"Yesterday."

"How'd _that_ go? Did he put you on the couch and try to hypnotize you?"

"No. Nothing like that. We talked. He told me about himself, and I told him some things about me."

"Does _he_ know you're Spiderman?"

"No."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know."

"Did you ask Mr. Stark?"

"Yeah. He said I can tell him if I want to. He can't tell anyone else."

"Unless they get a court order."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. I'm just saying, they could make him tell."

"I don't know if I'll tell him or not."

"When are you coming back to school?"

"I don't know. Probably not until the sleepwalking stops and we can move into the tower."

"Yeah, don't want you sleepwalking off the edge or something, I bet. That wouldn't be a good idea."

"The other night I woke everyone up looking for the dog my parents had, apparently."

"Seriously?"

"That's what they told me."

"Weird."

They were almost to the corridor that held Steve and Peter's quarters when Rogers came around a corner and smiled when he saw them – or smiled because he saw _Jack_ , who wagged his tail even harder when he saw Steve.

"There's my boy…"

"Hey Steve," Ned said, handing the dog over.

"Hey Ned. I heard you were coming. How have you been?"

"Pretty good. Your puppy is cute."

"Yeah, but he's a handful. What are you guys up to?"

"Going to mess around in the pool."

"Tony knows?"

Peter nodded.

"I think he'll probably play lifeguard."

"I might swing by. No sign of the thumb drive, yet."

"Let me know."

Rogers left, then, and Ned frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"It's my science experiment," Peter told him.

As they walked the rest of the way to his quarters, Peter explained the experiment and the idea behind it.

"That's a pretty good one," Ned conceded.

"It was Bruce's idea."

"This place is a giant think tank," the boy told his friend. "I love being here."

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "Me, too."

They went into his living room and Peter dropped the bags on the sofa.

"The backpack is all homework," Ned told him. "There's a lot of it. Sorry."

Peter shrugged.

"Go get changed."

"Are you going to let Natasha know you're going to be in the pool?" Ned asked, hopefully.

Peter just shrugged, but he smiled.

Man, he missed Ned sometimes.


	65. Chapter 65

Natasha _did_ end up in the pool with them. She wasn't the only one, though. Pepper, Steve and Bruce all joined Peter and Ned, and they brought out a beach ball and played volleyball for a while, with Tony alternating between hovering protectively at the edge of the water and sometimes succumbing to Pepper's cajoling that he play with them. Peter was far more comfortable in the water than he had been, which made it enjoyable for him, and Ned had managed to learn enough to keep himself afloat and tread water with the best of them.

They were wrinkly and worn out by dinner time, and were all getting out of the water to go change so they could eat when Stephen Strange arrived and walked over to the edge of the pool, dressed casually in jeans and a polo shirt instead of his customary suit.

Peter assumed that he was there to see Natasha, but _she_ looked surprised to see him, as well.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked him, smiling when he walked over to where she and Peter were drying off, watching as Ned helped Bruce and Steve take down the volleyball net.

"Tony told me that I had to come for dinner and entertainment, so here I _am_."

He brushed a kiss against her cheek, but was careful to keep himself away from the edge of the pool with her around, and he tousled Peter's wet hair in greeting.

"What is the entertainment?" she asked, curiously.

"Tony is going to DM a D&D campaign tonight," Peter told her with an anticipatory smile. "Want to play?"

" _D &D?" _

"Dungeons and Dragons," Strange clarified. "It's table top role playing."

"You make up a character – or two – and run quests and try to finish it without getting your character killed off."

"Apparently Tony has been working on this little expedition of his for a few days, now," Stephen told her. "With his creativity in engineering, it should be a good time."

"If you're a _nerd_ ," Pepper added, walking over in time to hear the comment.

Strange smiled, and shrugged his acceptance of that.

"I haven't been called a nerd in a long time – if _ever_ – but there _is_ a certain type of person who plays more than others, that is true."

"Are _you_ playing?" Natasha asked Pepper.

She nodded.

"Tony has been bouncing his ideas off me for two days, now, so I have to admit I'm intrigued to see how it turns out. And it might be _fun_."

Besides, it was raining out and there wasn't anything else to do.

"Said no woman _ever_ ," Stephen said, dryly, which made Peter laugh.

"Come on, Natasha," Peter said, taking her hand and giving her his best hopeful look. "You should try it. I'll help you make a character."

"You can be an orc," Strange suggested.

"Or an _elf_ ," Pepper added. "That's what my character is."

"I get choices?"

"All _kinds_. And then you have to decide what kind of alignment you're going to have. Like good guy or bad guy."

"Or neutral," Peter said. "Steve's going to play, and _he's_ never done it before, either."

Romanoff looked over at Strange, who smiled.

"The more the merrier."

She shrugged.

"I suppose it can't hurt to try…"

Besides, it didn't sound nearly as dangerous as _Spoons_ , and he'd been willing to learn that for her. Fair was fair, after all.

OOOOOOOOOO

D&D was complicated. The different characters available were plentiful, and then the different alignments were explained to her and Steve. Not surprisingly, Rogers decided his immediately that his character would be aligned as Lawful good. Natasha hesitated a bit, looking through her choices carefully before deciding that she would be Lawful Neutral.

Strange and Peter helped her roll out her character's strength, speed and other attributes, while Ned and Tony helped Steve, and Bruce gave Pepper a quick reminder of what her character could and couldn't do as a chaotic neutral thief.

The various dice were explained to them and Natasha was baffled by the fact that there were so many different ones used – one had _100_ sides! – _and_ that there were several different sets available. Peter told her that he had more than one set himself, but he had to use the new ones Tony had bought for that evening, since his had been in his bedroom, and at this time, he didn't know where they were. Along with all of his character sheets, which meant that he was going to roll himself a new character, also.

But Natasha had to admit that it was a lot of fun, and that there were worse ways to spend an evening. Besides, Peter had smiled several times, and that right there was enough to make it worth it.

"Don't throw your character away," Strange told Natasha when they were gathering up and ending things for the evening several hours later. "They are completely reusable if you ever want to play again."

"That was pretty fun," Steve said, carefully putting his sheets in a folder, and pocketing the set of dice that Tony had supplied to each of them, well aware that of them all, only Ned actually had his D&D items available. He had just created himself a new character, too, though, since he didn't want his dark elf overpowering the rest of the party. "I'd do it again some time."

"Captain America is a nerd at heart," Stark said with a smile and a wink at Ned. "Who would have known?"

Peter wasn't the only one to smile at that.

"Going to bed?" Pepper asked Peter and Ned.

"Going to my rooms," Peter told her. "We might play some video games."

"Don't stay up too late," Tony warned them. "I was thinking buffet at that place up the road for brunch."

"We won't," Peter promised.

"And I'll keep him from _sleepwalking_ ," Ned assured them. "He won't be able to sneak by me if I'm sleeping on the couch."

Peter rolled his eyes, which made Natasha smile.

It sounded like a challenge, really, and Ned knew what his friend was capable of.

OOOOOOO

" _Are you okay?"_

" _I miss you."_

" _That wasn't the question."_

" _I know. But I_ do _."_

" _That's normal. You're supposed to. It's nothing to worry about."_

" _I do, though."_

" _I know you do. You've always been so serious."_

 _Her smile made him ache, and he wanted to hug her, but felt as if there was a barrier of some kind keeping him away from her._

" _Will you be okay? Did I choose correctly?"_

 _He felt the sting of tears. It wasn't fair that she had had to choose at all._

" _Peter?"_

" _Yeah?"_

" _Tell me. Are you okay?"_

 _Tell me…_

 _Tell me…_

" _I'm okay."_

" _Tell me."_

" _How?"_

 _He decided that the barrier was keeping her from hearing him. He'd have to go to her. He'd need to be closer, was all._

 _She needed to know, and he wanted to touch her again._

 _He wanted to be with her so badly._

" _Peter."_

 _He looked at the small rock that suddenly appeared in his hand._

Where _?_

 _To_ May _. I need to see May_

 _There was a feeling of cheerful assent._

OOOOOOO

"This book is just as _odd_ as I remember it…"

Pepper shook her head, and didn't even open her eyes.

"It's supposed to be. To make you think."

"I happen to enjoy thinking, but this is odd."

"Did Peter finish his paper on it?"

"I'll ask-"

Stark was interrupted by the alert chime from Friday and he was getting out of bed even as the AI spoke up.

" _Peter's gone from the facility."_

"Which exit?"

There was silence.

"Friday? What _exit_?"

" _I can't tell you. He didn't_ use _one."_

"What? Where is he?"

 _"Scanning…"_

"What the hell?"

"What's wrong?" Pepper asked, sitting up.

Tony activated the Ironman suit, using the scanners. They were programmed to start close by and work outwards, and he was shocked at how far they went before the red blip appeared on his heads up display.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Tony?"

Pepper was out of bed, now, worried.

" _Stephen I need you. In my workroom."_

He deactivated the suit after the call had been made and slid his feet into shoes that were by the bed. Aside from that, he was wearing pajama bottoms and nothing else.

"He's nowhere near here," Tony told her. "Stephen can get us to him faster than I can fly."

"Bring him _here_."

He nodded and reached his workroom the same moment that Strange appeared.

"GPS Peter, will you?" Tony requested. "And get us there."

"What? Where-"

Strange activated the spell and the portal at the same moment and both men went through, closing it behind them. Strange looked around, surprised to find that they were in a cemetery, with rain pouring down on them in buckets.

Tony had activated his suit once more, but he only needed it to find that Peter was crouched next to a marble headstone. Not the ones that marked the final resting place of his parents. This one was _May's_.

The boy was wearing nothing but sweats, ignoring the driving rain and kneeling against the freshly cut marble, with one hand flat against the stone and the other tucked between his body and the rock, shivering.

Stark deactivated his suit, and Strange suddenly was holding a large umbrella, which kept the rain off both of them as they walked over to where Peter was huddled. Suddenly, Tony was also dressed in a t-shirt and warm jacket.

"Peter?"

He looked up at the sound of his name, and Tony didn't see any tears. Of course, his face was wet with rain so it could have just been masking it.

"Tony… Stephen… what are you doing here?"

Strange moved the umbrella to protect Peter as well, and Tony knelt beside him.

"What are _you_ doing here, Peter?" Stark asked, gently.

"Talking to May."

"About what?"

"She asked me if she chose right, and I wanted to tell her that she _did_."

Tony felt a surge of something he couldn't explain. Whatever it was, it made him feel good that Peter believed that enough to want to tell his aunt. No matter how he had gone about it. It all went through him as he put his hand on the boy's bare shoulder.

"Is he sleepwalking?" Stephen asked, quietly. "How do we know?"

Natasha had figured that one out, though, a long time ago.

"What's the formula for water, Peter?"

"Sam Clemens."

"He's _sleepwalking_."

There was a blanket in Strange's hand, suddenly, and he draped it over Peter's shoulders, carefully.

"Let's get him home, then."

"Wait." Stark touched Peter's cheek. "How did you get here?"

The boy looked down and opened his hand, revealing the teleportation stone.

Strange shook his head and plucked it out of Peter's hand.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

"We're going to get you back to bed, Peter. Okay?"

"Yeah."

No argument, no tears.

A moment later they were out of the rain and back in Tony's workroom. Immediately after that, Peter was dry and dressed in sweats and a long sleeved sweatshirt, but still not aware of what was going on around him, really.

Pepper walked into the room, alerted to their return by the noises that they had made.

"Put him to bed, Tony," she ordered. "Then tell me what happened."


	66. Chapter 66

Peter woke in Tony and Pepper's bed the next morning. He opened his eyes and looked around, sleepily, and Stark smiled down at him, brushing a hand against his forehead, something he did a lot, but that Peter didn't mind.

"Good morning."

"I slept walked?"

"Yeah."

"Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah."

They'd put him to bed and told Pepper what had happened in the cemetery, Strange had taken his rock and gone home, brushing aside Tony's thanks and reminding him that he knew how to reach him if they needed him. Then Tony and Pepper had slept the rest of the night with Peter between them and no further occurrences.

When morning came, Tony got up, dressed and went to check on things while Pepper drowsed sleepily, confirming what Natasha already knew and _she_ was learning. Peter was comfortable to cuddle with, being a person who didn't tend to thrash or roll around while he was sleeping. He didn't steal all the blankets, either.

When Tony returned, he swapped places with her, and she got ready for her day, while he sat in the bed beside Peter's sleeping form, just close enough to touch the boy, and working on his tablet, idly, waiting for him to wake up.

"What happened?" Peter asked, sitting up and rubbing his face, sleepily.

"You didn't sleepwalk so much as sleep _teleport_ ," Stark told him, putting the tablet to the side to give Peter his full attention.

"What?"

"You got hold of that rock somehow and it took you to visit May's grave in the early hours of the morning," he said.

"I did?"

"Yeah. How do you feel?"

"Tired, but okay."

And he was probably just tired because he just woke up. Although the thing had sapped some energy from him and Strange both the last time they'd tried using it.

"You owe Ned, big time," Tony said, changing the subject before Peter could start worrying over it.

"Why?"

"Pepper's thumb drive made its appearance this morning, and your friend collected it and cleaned it for you. That's _friendship_."

"He did?"

Peter looked at his watch, surprised that it was after 10am already.

"Yeah. Then he hacked your laptop _and_ Bruce's and uploaded all the data from the camera, and was going to stark checking to see what the trip through Jack's inner workings might have done to the drive. Ned is a _very_ smart young man."

"Yeah."

"Are you up for brunch, still?" Tony asked, glancing at his watch, now. "It's not too late."

"Yeah, definitely."

"Go get dressed, then, and tell _Ned_ to wash his hands."

Before he moved, though, Tony brushed his forehead with his palm once more. The weather was getting much too cold for Peter to be running around in graveyards without anything on but sweats, and he was worried about a relapse of the cold that he'd caught before May's funeral. He didn't feel warm, though.

As if he knew what he was doing, Peter moved his head away, and gave him a slight smile, feeling frustrated from the sleepwalking but not from Stark's attentions. He understood _that_ concern, now, and knew it wasn't going to be easing up any time soon. Maybe not ever.

"I'm okay."

Tony nodded.

"Yeah. I know. Go get dressed. We'll meet you guys in the garage in half an hour."

OOOOOOO

Brunch was a little more intimate than originally intended. Natasha and Steve had both gone to Clint's to celebrate one of his kid's birthday, taking Jack with them and Bruce was spending time working on his own research with one of the prettier scientists that lived full time at the compound. So it was just Pepper and Tony who went to eat with the boys, but they had a good time.

Ned explained the data that the camera was sending out from Jack, and since it was _Pepper's_ thumb drive that the puppy had eaten, he was able to ask her about the few files that digestive juices had apparently corrupted. Since there wasn't anything but a lot of spread sheets on the drive, Pepper had been more than open with the data he had been looking through, and the two of them carried most of the conversation not only to brunch, but _through_ it, as well

"You can write up the paper with the new template I put on your laptop, Peter," Ned told him when they left the restaurant, completely stuffed with a solid meal. "It's the same one I used for my DNA experiment, and it's pretty simple – but _looks_ flashy. Got me an A, anyway."

"Thanks, Ned," Peter told him, meaning it.

"Anytime."

No sense being the guy in the chair if the guy out of the chair was floundering, after all.

"You can work on it tonight," Tony told him, looking at Peter through the rearview mirror. "It's the weekend and you guys are supposed to be relaxing."

Peter nodded, and looked at Ned, knowing what he'd like to do and figuring that he owed him for all the help.

"Can we use the Quinjet simulators this afternoon?" he asked Tony.

Ned's face lit up at the idea – as Peter knew it would. A billion dollar video game at their fingertips? What techie teen wouldn't love that? The only thing that would have been better would have been more pool time with _Natasha_ – but he couldn't make that one happen since she probably wouldn't be back until well after Ned went home.

"Yeah," Stark replied. "I don't see why not."

OOOOOOOO

It was even later than he'd figured when Natasha returned to the compound. Peter was in the lounge, his laptop on his lap while he sat on a sofa and worked on one of the English papers that he was trying to finish before morning. He felt the very familiar tingle that told him someone was coming, and it was enough to break his concentration and look up just to see her entering the empty room.

She echoed his smile and walked over to him.

"Homework or _porn_?"

Peter blushed a little – he couldn't help himself – but he grinned and shook his head.

"Homework."

"Why are you working on it so late?" she asked, sitting beside him and brushing a kiss against his cheek.

"I want to have it done before morning. I can turn it in with the stuff I already finished that way, and one less thing to have hanging over my head."

"You're not stressing it?"

"No. Just trying to get it done."

"How did the science project turn out?"

Peter smiled.

"Perfect. The camera stopped sending data early this afternoon, so I was able to get the experiment written up, results and all, and that can be turned in, too."

"Is Pepper taking it in for you?"

He shook his head.

"She's going to drive me in, when she goes to work tomorrow. We'll stop at my school, first, and drop off homework, and then I'm going to go to the tower with her for the day."

"Really? What's Tony going to be doing?"

"Working on integrating my new web shooter with my watch."

"Without you?"

Peter smiled.

"I think he'll get it done faster that way," the boy told her. "He likes to explain things to me as he goes – which is _great_ – but if I spend the day with Pepper, he'll be able to finish what he wants to do a lot faster than if I'm there with him. And I know he doesn't want me to be running around without my watch any longer than necessary."

Peter was well aware that Friday could track his location for Tony through his watch. With the sleepwalking thing, that was understandable – and probably necessary.

"You're not going to have your watch on?"

 _She_ clearly didn't like that idea, either.

Natasha was well aware of the giant target that being Tony Stark's protégé and the closest thing the man had to a son painted on Peter's back. He was skilled, yes, but he was so young and untried, really, and the thought of him being out alone made her own spider senses tingle, so to speak.

"No. Tony will need it to put the new shooter in it. But I'm not going to be leaving the tower, either, so it's no big deal, really…"

"What are you going to do at the tower all day?" she asked, curiously.

"I'm going to start going through the stuff from the apartment," he told her, with just a hint of sorrow now clouding his expression – and making his voice catch a little. "I have a few things that I need, like my D&D stuff that would have come in handy last night – and some things that I want of May's – and it has to be sorted through so the rest can go someplace useful, instead of sitting and taking up space."

She touched his shoulder, giving him a look that told him she understood.

"I could help you, if you want."

He appreciated the offer, but he shook his head.

"Thanks. It's just a bunch of boxes, though. You wouldn't be able to know what is what and what's to keep and what's to be donated. I could probably get it done faster, alone."

Besides, she had better things to do than go through box after box of toasters and frying pans and Peter knew it.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Romanoff nodded, and gave him a hug and kissed him.

"I'll leave you alone so you can finish your paper, but don't stay up too late, okay?"

"Okay."

She left the lounge, and went looking for Tony.


	67. Chapter 67

Peter had managed to get out of the habit of getting up early the past few weeks, and it showed. Stark had come to wake him up, rousting him out of Natasha's bed – where he'd ended up after finishing his English paper – even before Romanoff was planning to get up.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," he murmured into the boy's ear as Natasha tightened her grip on him, automatically, but then loosened it so that Peter could roll over and automatically look at his watch.

"It's too _early_ …"

"Nope. Go get ready. You guys are going to have breakfast at the tower, so meet us in the garage in half an hour."

"Okay."

He rolled back over, into Natasha's arms once more, and closed his eyes.

"Hey…"

"Yeah?" he voice was muffled by Romanoff's collarbone.

"You're supposed to be getting up."

"I _am_."

Natasha chuckled, and shooed Stark away.

"I'll take care of this part."

Tony nodded, and shook his head, amused at the thought that Peter was almost certainly getting more cuddle time with Natasha than _Strange_ was. The benefit of being on site, younger and almost certainly cuter.

"Half an hour, Peter…"

" _Okay_."

OOOOOOOO

It was close, but he walked into the garage dressed in clean clothes, carrying a backpack full of completed homework and still looking more than a little sleepy only twenty-five minutes later. Natasha had reminded him that she'd be available if he needed anything before he left, and he appreciated it.

Happy was standing next to the sedan, talking softly with Pepper and Tony when Peter walked over.

"Ready?" Pepper asked, reaching up and brushing his hair back with a smile.

"Yeah."

Stark snapped his fingers at Peter, gesturing to the watch.

"No wandering today, okay?" he said, as Peter took the watch off and handed it to Tony. "Stay in the tower unless you're with Pepper – or _Happy_."

"Happy?"

"Yeah. He's going to be driving you guys in today."

Peter looked at Pepper, wondering why the change of plans, but she shrugged.

"This way we don't have to worry if we can't find a parking spot when we get to your school."

"Oh."

Stark kissed Pepper goodbye and watched as she and Peter got into the back seat and Happy started the car.

"If you get bored, come have lunch with us," Pepper told him, rolling down the window long enough for him to kiss her again.

"I might."

OOOOOOO

Peter slept on the drive in, leaning against Pepper, who was willing to play pillow for him, and idly brushing her fingers through the boy's hair. He was probably due a haircut, she decided, and made a purely mental note to bring it up with Tony, who could take him in when he went next time.

He woke when they hit the stop and go traffic of the city, and sat more upright, looking a bit better for having had a nap.

"When we get to the school we'll just go to the office," Pepper told him. "I called and they'll be waiting for us there."

He nodded.

 _They_ turned out to be all but one of Peter's teachers. The gym teacher wasn't concerned about the boy falling behind and had other things to do, but the rest were there, and they had a very brief meeting in the principal's office with the principal, the teachers, Pepper and Peter.

All of them told him the same thing as he handed over the homework that he'd brought in. They were not worried about him missing class and as long as he showed effort on the homework they assigned, none of them would consider him falling behind. Pepper pointed out – with her hand on Peter's shoulder – that they'd be keeping him out of class at least the next few weeks, but that they would keep in touch with each of them and made sure all of the teachers had her direct number – as well as Tony's.

By the time the meeting was over, Peter had to admit that he felt a lot better about his school situation, and didn't feel like he was drowning in missed expectations.

"Well, that went better than I expected," she said as they waited for Happy to pull the car to the front of the building to get them. "They were very accommodating."

"Yeah."

Peter was pretty sure it didn't hurt that it was her and Tony making the requests.

"Are you all right?"

Peter nodded.

"Yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Let's go get some breakfast. I'm starving."

OOOOOOO

"You're sure you want to do this alone?"

Peter looked at the stacks of neatly labeled boxes in the large room that Happy and Pepper had led him to and nodded.

"Yeah. It's okay."

It was just stuff, after all.

"I'll be in my office if you need anything."

"Okay, thanks."

She didn't look all that convinced, but she had a feeling that this was something that he wanted to handle by himself. Maybe his last chance to say goodbye to May.

"We'll come get you for lunch."

Peter nodded again, and Pepper left the room.

"Don't wander off," Happy reminded him before he followed Pepper out the door. "If you need anything, I won't be far."

"Thanks."

He picked up the first box, labeled _clothes, women_ , and decided that he didn't even need to open it. He moved it from one side of the room to the other and set it in the corner. Then he picked the next box off the pile and brought it to the floor so he could read that label. _Kitchen, dishes_. Another one for the pile that didn't need opened. He didn't need women's clothes or kitchen dishes. They would go to a charity that could use them.

Peter moved several boxes from one side of the room to the other before he actually opened one. When he did, he found all of May's jewelry in it. This included the pendant that Thor had given her for her birthday, and he held it in his hand thinking back on that day. It had been so much fun, and never would he have thought that less than 6 months later he was going to have lost her forever.

He felt the sting of tears, and wondered if maybe he'd been wrong about being able to handle this by himself. At the time it had just seemed like a bunch of boxes filled with things, but looking through the box that he'd finally opened, he knew that they weren't just _things_. They were _May's_ things, and each one of them represented a memory that he had of her.

Wiping his eyes, he finished going through that box, and this time a few small items went into a pile on the one table that was in the room. The box was then closed, and set on the stack that was slowly growing in the corner.

Then he turned his attention to the next box.

OOOOOOOO

It was several hours later when Pepper came to see if Peter was ready to take a break and have some lunch with her. She tapped lightly on the door to avoid startling him, and walked into the room, noting that more than half of the boxes had been moved from one corner of the room to the other. At the same time, though, she saw Peter sitting on the floor in a corner of the room, an open box beside him, holding something against his chest, his head bowed over it and his entire body shaking with silent sobs.

She went over to him and wordlessly sat beside him, her arms going around him, gathering him against her. Peter leaned into her, his head going to her shoulder, but never releasing the object in his arms.

"I can't do this, Pepper," he told her, his voice breaking.

"You don't _have_ to," she assured him. "It can wait for as long as you need – and then we'll work on it together. Okay?"

He nodded, and buried his face against her neck and she held him while he cried.

It was a long time before he finally pulled away, and when he did, he looked down at the framed photo in his arms. A picture of him and May at the park. One he'd seen plenty of times. He even had a copy of it in his quarters at the compound. Why it had set him off, he didn't know, but he hadn't been prepared for the sudden surge of grief that had coursed through him like a bolt of lightning and had literally staggered him.

"I'm sorry…"

"There's no reason to be," she told him, brushing a kiss against his temple. "Why don't you call it a day and come spend time with me?"

"Okay."


	68. Chapter 68

They had lunch at the bar in the party deck of the tower, which was also where Pepper's work desk was located. It afforded a beautiful view of the city – despite the rain coming down – and the outside deck was a preferred landing area for the Ironman suit when Tony was in and out. She expected he'd be making an appearance pretty soon, after all.

The lunch conversation was almost exclusively about Peter's upcoming birthday, since Pepper wanted to have a light conversation to help him get over the emotional turmoil of the morning, _and_ because she was still trying to figure out what they were going to do for a party for him and wanted as much input from his as she could get.

It as _his_ party, after all.

"We could have a party at the compound," she reminded him. "Invite some of your friends, open up the Quinjet simulator, of course, and even set up laser tag, or something."

They definitely had the facilities for it.

Peter had simply shrugged. He still was more in favor of not having a party at all, but he knew that they wanted to do something special for him for his first birthday with them – and the 16th one, at that. Because of that, he would let them throw him a party (and he knew whatever they did would be fun) but he didn't want anything too extravagant. He was definitely far more of a low key type than Tony was.

"We could have Stephen come," Pepper said, finishing her baked potato and pushing the plate away. "Then we would save the expense of hiring a magician."

Peter actually laughed at that, and wondered if Tony had thought of that, too.

"I'd like him there," the boy agreed. "Probably couldn't convince him to pull a rabbit out of a hat, though."

"Maybe…" Pepper said, with a sly smile. "If _Natasha_ asked him, nicely."

"Not even for her, I bet." He gestured to her plate. "You're done?"

"Yes, thanks."

Peter was done eating, too, and he gathered her plate with his own and took them behind the bar where he knew by now that there was a dishwasher and a sink. He rinsed the dishes while Pepper watched, nursing a cup of coffee, and continuing to throw out ideas for a theme for his potential party.

"We could do a Vegas night theme," she said. "Set up table games and play for monopoly money, then have things that can be bought at the end of the night for the winnings."

"Which would be great," he told her. "Except I'm terrible at cards, and would probably come out of my birthday party in debt."

Which elicited a smile.

"Good point. Well, think about what you want, okay? It's _supposed_ to be about you – so it should be what _you_ want to do. But don't make us just have a piece of cake and sing happy birthday and leave it at that, please?"

"I'll try," he promised as he closed the dishwasher door.

"Thanks."

He looked out at the open deck area.

"Can I go outside?"

Pepper frowned, looking at the cloudy skies and the rain pelting the landing area Tony used.

"If you wear a jacket."

Peter nodded. He didn't have one handy, but _Tony_ did, and Peter picked it off the hook near the entrance, knowing that Stark wouldn't care if he borrowed it.

"Don't stay out long."

"I won't."

There really wasn't nothing to do out there, except he knew that the original mechanisms for the Ironman suit were out there, and that Tony used to use it to engage the suit and disengage it when he'd come to the tower. Stark had pointed it out to him when he'd taken Peter on his first tour of the place.

Pepper watched as Peter went outside, not concerned, since she knew the boy had no problems with heights and with the jacket on, no worries about catching a chill. She debated going to her desk and getting some work done, but it was nice to relax and watch him as he wandered all over the outside deck, exploring what she considered to be his new home. As far as she was concerned, he could explore the tower top to bottom with no room off limits.

She wanted him to be comfortable.

OOOOOOOO

He felt the tingle that warned him to look up just as he also felt the change in air pressure. A flash of light heralded the thrusters, which told him that the Ironman suit was coming into the tower. Sure enough, a moment later Ironman was landing in front of him and Tony disengaged it, giving Peter a slightly concerned look.

"What are you doing out here in the rain?"

The boy didn't look upset, but a rainy day wasn't the best time to go exploring the unprotected deck area. Especially when there were a ton of other places that were more interesting. There were a dozen labs on the floors above them, after all.

"Trying to decide where to put the pool," Peter deadpanned.

Stark smiled at that, and slapped the boy's back, sending splatters of rain water all over himself.

"That's not a bad idea, really…" A lot of buildings had rooftop pools. The tower could have one, too. "Come inside for a minute, though."

He led Peter back into the building, and crossed to the bar to greet Pepper, who was already reaching for a cup of coffee for him. Peter shook out the borrowed jacket and hung it up before joining them, and Tony threw his watch at him, which he caught, easily.

"You finished it?"

"Not completely," he replied, watching as Peter put the watch on. "It needs to be fitted to your wrist, still, and I want to see how it works. We can't have the watchband supporting the webbing, so the mechanism will come out of your watch, but encase your wrist before you can use it. That way we're not risking a fall from the band breaking for some reason."

"Smart," Pepper said, approving.

Stark preened.

"I do have my moments. Try it, Peter."

The web shooter seemed to ooze from a small opening the size of a needle, and went around Peter's left wrist, forming a bracelet of sorts before the trigger appeared. Peter turned and shot a web unerringly at a billiard ball and was impressed at how smooth the action was.

"That's nice," he said, jerking his wrist and catching the ball as it flew at him.

"Yeah. We're not done with it – it'll need to form more quickly than it does right now – but it's a start."

Peter started to take it off, but Tony shook his head.

"Keep it on, and get used to it. I'm done working for the day, anyway."

Besides, he didn't like the idea of the boy not having his watch on – even in the friendly confines of the tower. Natasha had made it very clear the night before what kind of risks were facing Peter if someone decided that taking the boy could become profitable. Which Tony hadn't actually had time to think about, but knew was true the moment Romanoff had brought it up.

Peter wouldn't be an easy grab, but if someone _did_ somehow manage to take him, Tony would know immediately where he was as long as he had the watch on. Between Ironman, the Avengers and the considerable threat of Stephen Strange, no one who was dumb enough to take the boy would keep him long, that was for sure.

"What a coincidence," Pepper said, smiling. " _I'm_ done working for the day, too."

Stark's expression told her that he approved. She worked too hard, sometimes, and he knew it. Having Peter around would probably make her more aware of the need for her to shorten what was usually an incredibly long workday into something a little more family friendly to be able to spend time with him – and vicariously – with Tony, too. As far as Stark was concerned, that could only be a good thing.

"Let's go find something to do, then," he told them both. "Something _dry_."


	69. Chapter 69

They ended up in an arcade.

Which was not Pepper's idea of a great afternoon's entertainment, but she allowed Peter and Tony to outvote her this time. _Next_ time she promised herself, she was going to insist on a _tea garden_ or something. It _was_ fun, though, she had to admit, watching as the two of them swept through the video games like wildfire. They played everything, competing against each other in some of the games, and teaming up against other players in others.

"Now you have _two_ nerds," Happy told her, amused, standing beside her as they watched Peter and Tony playing an arcade basketball game.

"Yes. Good thing they're cute."

He snorted.

"There's a bowling alley attached to this place if you want to do that, next."

"Are you going to play?"

"No."

"Chicken."

"I don't like sharing shoes with _strangers_."

Besides, the concealed weapon he carried made it awkward to bowl. He'd tried, before.

OOOOOOO

The rain was finally stopping about the same time that they returned to the compound. Peter was in the front with Happy, and Stark was in the back with Pepper, who was doing a Peter and napping on the way home with her resting on Tony's shoulder.

"There's Natasha," Peter said, pointing to the sporty black car that was coming from the opposite direction, pulling off the highway in front of them, heading for the service road that led to the compound.

Happy stepped on the accelerator and swung the sedan in behind the Corvette, waited until there was a good spot in the road and then surged past her, car fishtailing a little on the muddy road as he pulled in front of her.

"Nice move," Peter told him, turning in his seat to look back at Romanoff.

"When you're ready, I'll teach you," Happy promised him.

"Cars are not _toys_ ," Stark said, just as Natasha sped by them, tucking her car in front of them once more and then slowing down to a crawl as she blocked the middle of the road to keep from being passed again.

"No, _metal suits_ are, but not cars," Pepper told him, having been woken by the sudden acceleration.

"Exactly."

They pulled into the garage right behind her, and she parked by Peter's Pontiac, and Happy parked the sedan next to her. She waited by her door, leaning on the car and smiling a greeting to them.

"Where have _you_ been?" Happy asked, wondering about the direction she'd been coming from.

Romanoff held up a bag with a paw print on it.

"Went up to buy some new leashes for Jack. He chewed through his. Figured I'd buy in bulk _this_ time and save Steve a trip next week."

"Makes sense."

She nodded, and looked at Peter.

"How are you doing?"

"Okay. We were at the arcade."

"Sounds like fun."

"Homework until dinner," Tony told him, shooing him off before Natasha could distract him.

Peter rolled his eyes, which made Natasha smile, but he nodded and left the garage.

"How is he doing?" she asked once the boy was gone.

"Rough morning," Pepper admitted. "He thought he could handle the sorting, but it was too much, I think. The arcade was a good diversion from it."

"Good thinking." She looked at Tony. "Are you done with his watch?"

"For _now_. He's wearing it again."

"Good." She shrugged. "I'd better get these to Steve. I'll try to swing by at dinner – otherwise I'll expect him in the gym later."

"He'll be there."

Part of the plan to wear him out before bedtime was going to be a sparring session with Natasha – and maybe Steve or Clint – and then a hot bath and bed. With his schoolwork started, an activity under his belt, so to speak, and the relaxation from a bath, hopefully it would calm him enough to keep him in his own bed.

OOOOOOOO

"Comfortable?"

Peter nodded, and felt the attack coming before he saw it, and was able to block several punches and a kick that Natasha sent his way, then he allowed her to drive him backwards with a few more. Once she stopped, it was he who went on the offensive, and he tried to land several punches of his own, which she blocked.

"Very good, Peter," Steve said from where he was standing on the side, watching with Clint. "Go again."

They did, driving each other back and forth with a flurry of blows and kicks, with him even dodging an attempt she made to catch him high with a leg scissor kick that sent her backwards and forced her to jump back up before he could press his attack.

Natasha nodded her approval, and Peter smiled, excited at the fact that he could hold his own with someone so amazing.

"You're getting better," she told him. "And that's saying something."

"Thanks."

She had taught him everything he knew, so it was all because of her and the others being willing to teach him all their tricks, he knew.

"We do have a concern that you need to know about, though," Steve said, seriously. "Being permanently associated with Tony like you are now, it makes you a prime target for kidnappers hoping to make an easy dollar ransoming you back to him."

"Yeah, I know." Peter nodded, remembering what Ned had said about him kidnapping him for his car alone. "But no one can catch me."

"Don't get too cocky," Clint cautioned him. "You're _fast_ , but not faster than a bullet."

"Or a trank gun, probably," Steve added.

"Okay. So what do I do?"

"You have to be constantly aware of the people around you, the environment you're in," Natasha said. "Trust _us_ ," she added, gesturing to the three of them. "And the people you _know_ , but trust your gut – and your spider senses, too. If a situation feels wrong – like that time we got skunked – then assume it _is_ wrong and get out of the area as soon as you can."

"Climb a wall, even, if you need to," Clint suggested. "Better your identity is blown than we're trying to find you before someone decides to make an object lesson out of you."

"Keep your watch on," Natasha reminded him. "Especially now that Tony's putting a web shooter in it. We can track you with it – and you can jump off a building to get loose if you can, and swing to safety."

"You guys _really_ think this is something I need to worry about?" Peter asked them, uncertainly.

When _Ned_ had mentioned it, it had been a joke, but he respected these three, and knew they wouldn't be talking about it if they didn't think it needed to be said. But he wanted to give them a chance to say that they were just kidding. Or just overreacting to a potential danger.

Natasha nodded, though.

"It's not something to _worry_ about, Peter, but it _is_ something you need to keep in the back of your mind at all times and be aware of the possibility that someone might want to _hurt_ you – or take you."

" _We're_ here for you, of course," Steve told him. "No one's going to get by us to do anything. But you're not always going to be _here_ – or _we_ might not be here. You're good enough to keep yourself safe – in _most_ cases – and we're trying to make sure that the rest of the time you know to try to get away if something happens - or if it _feels_ like something is going to happen."

"Let me ask you a question about your spider senses," Natasha said. "If I snuck up behind you, would they tell you it's _me_? Or just that someone is coming? I know that you've been able to mention that Stephen is here before he actually comes through the door."

"That's because he uses magic to get here and I feel the _magic_ ," Peter told her, hesitating just long enough to think about it. "Or he has the cloak, and I can feel it, because _it's_ magic. I don't think I know who it is, only that they're coming."

"We'll try that some time, then," Steve said to him – and to the others. "For now, we're going to spend the rest of this session working on teaching you how to get away from someone who might be trying to grab you."

"Okay."


	70. Chapter 70

Telling someone that they have a nonstop target on their back is probably not the best way to keep them from being anxious and sleepwalking. It _did_ need to be done, though, and being the expert at such things, Natasha knew that they had done a much better job of thoroughly explaining the situation than Tony and Pepper might have. _They_ , at least, didn't sugarcoat the situation – although they did do the best that they could to make sure Peter understood that all of them were there for him and would do whatever was needed to keep him safe.

They'd drilled him for hours. Every kind of grab move that could possibly be thought of – and _Natasha_ knew every one – was shown to the boy, and then they'd show him how to counter it. He was wicked quick, of course, and the spiders senses would be the telling difference all three of them were sure, but they didn't send him off to his quarters until his responses were smooth as glass – and even then, they reminded him that they were going to be having sparring sessions three times a week for the foreseeable future.

Peter didn't mind. He _wanted_ to learn what they were teaching him. Not so much because he was worried about being a target, but because it was time spent with the three of them – and he loved that he could have that time. Who wouldn't? It was Captain America, Hawkeye and, of course, Natasha.

He soaked in the bath for almost an hour, because Tony had told him to, and then went to bed.

OOOOOOOO

"Where did they find him?"

"Behind the bar in the lounge," Tony told Pepper, returning to their bed after having returned Peter to his.

"Did you put him with Natasha?"

"No. I thought that if he woke up alone in his own bed, he didn't need to know that he left it. Maybe it will give him a victory of sorts and he'd feel a little less stressed about the sleepwalking. Maybe what he needs to stay in bed tonight."

"Good idea."

It certainly didn't hurt to try.

"Yeah."

Stark closed his eyes, gathering her up into his arm – mainly to steal her warmth, although she was his favorite person to cuddle with. And the only one he wanted in his arms like this. Again, it was amazing how much he'd matured, when he thought back to the ass that he used to be.

Pepper didn't mind sharing, and she snuggled right up against him, willingly.

"What are you doing today?"

"I'll finish working on his watch – with him in the workroom with me."

"And then?"

"We'll test it out in the gym so he can get used to swinging on the new bands. Then lunch, some time to work on his homework, and a trip into the city before dinner with Natasha, who is picking up some new throwing knives she had specially made and doesn't want to risk to the postal service."

"Why is _Peter_ going?"

"Because Peter was _invited_ to go, and he would chop an arm off rather than work on homework when he could be spending time with her. Even if it's just a simple drive."

Pepper smiled at the truth in that statement, and closed her eyes.

"After dinner?"

"Dodgeball."

"Sounds fun."

"Yeah? Good. We'll probably invite you to play."

"Are _you_ playing?"

"Sure."

" _Without_ the suit?"

"Hmmm… no. I'm too old for that. We're going to enlist a lot of his football buddies for that."

"And me?"

"They'll go easy."

She snorted, indelicately, and could feel that she was starting to fall asleep once more.

"I wonder if he'd like a trip of some kind for his birthday party…"

"Like what? A weekend at Disney? Invite Ned – and MJ – and spend time in the happiest place on the planet?"

"Sound him out – unless I beat you to it – see if it's something he'd be interested in. Okay?"

"I will. It's a good idea."

She went back to sleep, and he wasn't far behind.

OOOOOOOOO

"Hey… are you going to sleep all day?"

Peter opened his eyes and frowned up at Clint, who was looking far too cheerful for the early hour of the day.

"I might."

"Get up and come have breakfast."

"Why?"

"French toast day. I want to watch Stark watch you eat."

The boy smiled at that, amused, and looked around, realizing that he was in his own bed, in _his_ room. Maybe he was making some progress, after all.

"He doesn't like me eating _French toast_. You know that."

"Which is why it is so much fun to see you do it. Come on, you know you want some."

It _did_ sound good, and as if in complete agreement, his stomach growled.

"I'll _think_ about it."

Barton groaned, knowing Peter was just messing with him, now, and he flopped himself onto the boy's bed, wrapping his arms around Peter, blankets and all, and rolling over to leverage him out of his bed. Peter twisted himself around, grabbing Clint as he went over the edge of the bed and they landed in a heap on the floor.

"Do I even _want_ to know what you two are doing?"

They both looked up at Natasha, who had come to make sure Peter was in _his_ bed since he wasn't in hers.

"It's French toast day, Nat. Tell Peter he has to come have some."

"So you can watch Tony's reaction?"

How well she knew him!

" _Whaaaaat_? No. Of _course_ not. I just want to do my part to make sure Peter eats a healthy breakfast. He's a growing boy, after all. Can't have him withering away."

Natasha reached a hand down to pull Peter to his feet and then did the same to Clint.

"I'd eat French toast."

"In the _lounge_?" Barton asked, hopefully.

"Is that where Tony is?"

"I just saw him there, yeah." He grabbed Peter's shoulders and pushed him toward the dresser on the other side of the room. "Get dressed. Hurry up. Natasha is super hungry and we need to get her fed."

"Because she's a _growing boy_ and it's your responsibility to make sure she doesn't wither away?" Peter asked, trying very hard to keep a straight face.

"Now you're _learning_ ," Clint said, approvingly. "We'll be in the other room."

OOOOOOOO

"You're doing this on _purpose_ , aren't you?"

Peter looked up from pouring syrup onto his French toast and gave Tony a very respectable innocent look, his eyes big and guileless.

"Whaaaaat?"

Stark rolled his eyes, and ignored the amused expressions on the faces of the others around the table as he took a sip of his coffee.

"I need to find you other people to hang out with."

Pepper laughed, and reached out and touched his chin.

"Now you see what I've been putting up with for years, don't you?"

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because it's funny when it's _me_ doing it."

Natasha grinned at that.

"We're going to leave around two-thirty, okay?"

Peter was in the process of shoving an entire piece of French toast into his mouth, so he just nodded, looking over at Tony to see if he'd changed the day's schedule and was going to veto the drive into the city with Natasha. Stark just nodded, though, and shrugged.

"Just make sure you're home for dinner."


	71. Chapter 71

It was a measure of just how much of a tech genius Tony Stark was that he had Peter's watch finished within only a couple of hours once he'd started working on it after breakfast. This included the time that it took to have Peter put it on, try shooting a webbing, and then take it off to make all adjustments needed before repeating the process.

"How does it feel?" he asked, watching as the boy put the finished product on one last time and rolled his wrist a few times to settle it before activating the shooter mechanism.

"It's perfect."

He held up both hands, the one with the watch and the one with the unassuming looking silver bracelet that had the Avenger logo engraved into the top and a tiny spider web engraved under the band, where no one would see it but Peter. Tony couldn't help but throw it in to pay homage to Peter's abilities, even if very few people would even know it was there.

"Feels right? No pinching?"

"Yeah, it's good."

"Let's go try it out."

They spent another hour in the gym, and Stark watched as Peter swung himself at dizzying speeds through the large room, testing both the left wrist as well as the right, checking the balance of both bands when they activated, and finally coming to a landing near Tony and announcing himself very pleased with the results.

"You're good?"

Peter nodded, grinning at the excitement of having the web shooters permanently available to him, now.

"Yeah. It's awesome. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

They didn't have any reason to hang out in the gym now that Peter was back on the ground, so they headed for the lounge and a well-deserved drink for Tony.

"We were wondering if you'd like to go to Disneyland for your birthday…" Stark said as they claimed a table.

"Disneyland?"

"Yeah. Mickey, Goofy, that girl from _Frozen_ … interested?"

"I'm a little _old_ for that, don't you think?"

"Ever been?"

"Yes, but I don't remember it."

Meaning his folks had taken him. He'd seen the pictures when he'd been sorting through May's things the day before, even.

"Think about it, and let us know."

"Okay."

"We could do a weekend somewhere else if you have a place in mind. Chicago has a pretty cool museum across from Soldier field. And there's Navy Pier. I don't have a _Chicago_ shot glass, yet."

"True."

"Or somewhere else." He smiled at the boy, amazed at himself for caring about someone else so much that he was trying so hard to find something he'd be interested in. "Ask Ned for ideas."

"Yeah, I will."

Maybe a trip would be fun. And it wouldn't be a party, really.

"Good."

"Anywhere?"

"Not Antarctica."

"Okay." Peter shrugged. "I'll think about it."

"You do that. No place is off limits."

"Except _Antarctica_."

"Yeah, except there. It's too cold."

They spent the rest of their morning hanging out with each other, playing board games and just enjoying the company the other provided. Every now and then one of the others would stop in to the lounge for a break in their schedule, and would sit in on a game, or just stop and chat for a minute. And right before lunch, Steve asked Peter if he'd take Jack outside for a while to allow the puppy a chance to run around a little.

Which also gave _Peter_ some time in the fresh air, as well. The rain that was falling didn't bother the boy, or the puppy that was chasing him as he ran around the field.

OOOOOOO

Lunch was eaten in the lounge. Nick came by and seated himself with Peter and Stark and started discussing a few administrative topics that weren't interesting to Peter – and not to _Tony_ , either, to judge from the assorted expressions that kept crossing his features as the discussion continued. They were things that needed to be discussed though, and Stark knew it – which was why he didn't try to find an excuse to do something else, instead.

When they were done eating, Peter went to his rooms to spend some time working on his homework. Since the meeting with his teachers, he wasn't nearly as concerned about just how much of it there was to do, and he browsed through it all, debating what would be the easiest and which would need extra time – such as the three research papers he had due, and yet another experiment – and now there were two more books for him to read, as well.

He opted to work on one of the research papers, now that he had full access to the compound's network thanks to the laptop, and settled on his sofa, using the internet to find out everything that there was to learn about our friend DNA.

OOOOOOOO

A tap on his door pulled Peter from the web search he was doing, and he looked up and saw Natasha peeking in.

"What are you doing?"

"Homework."

"Anything that can't be interrupted?"

He shook his head and closed the laptop.

"It's a paper about DNA – boring. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. I just told Tony, so he knows we're leaving. Grab a jacket. It's raining, again."

He pulled on a sweatshirt instead, well aware that he wasn't actually going to be out in the rain all that much, and the two of them headed for the garage, discussing the homework assignments that he had waiting to be completed and the books waiting to be read.

"We could take the _Pontiac_ ," Peter told her, looking at the car, hopefully.

"Not _this_ time," she answered, shaking her head with a smile. "The tabs still show as expired, and I don't want to be pulled over by every police officer between here and the city or we won't be home until midnight."

She unlocked her Corvette and they got in.

OOOOOOOOO

The drive into the city was a good time. Natasha was an interesting companion and always willing to talk to Peter about anything and everything that was on his mind. At the moment it was pretty much everything birthday related, since Peter mentioned the idea that Tony had brought up about a trip somewhere and the two of them discussed various destinations.

Natasha's destination suggestions were far more exotic than Peter's. She was talking about warm, tropical islands, sandy beaches and sun screen. Peter had thought maybe _Montana_ , since he'd never been there, and Ned was always quoting a movie phrase that he would have liked to have seen Montana.

"I think someplace sunny would hit the spot," Natasha pointed out, gesturing at the rain on their windshield. "You could learn how to sail, or go fishing for something a bit bigger than that which grows in a lake."

"True."

They eventually pulled up to an unassuming corner shop in a fairly nice neighborhood just on the edge of the city, and the conversation turned to the knives that Natasha had ordered while they parked the car and walked into the shop. A bell rang in the back room when they did, and Peter looked around with interest at the various knives in presentations on the walls and in glass counter displays.

"Rick's a genius with a blade," Romanoff told him, walking over to a display case just as a small man walked out of a doorway and into the main shop.

He was dark skinned with wavy blonde hair and brown eyes that lit up when he saw who was in the store.

"Natasha," he said – and Peter detected an accent that he couldn't place. "You look amazing, as always."

She smiled and took the hand that he offered over the case.

"Flatterer."

"Who's your friend?"

Romanoff put her hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Rick, this is Peter. Peter, this is my friend Rick."

"Are you a blade man, Peter?" Rick asked him with a friendly smile. "Or do you prefer guns?"

Peter smiled, shyly, and shook his head.

"Uh, not guns. Not really _blades_ , though, either."

"No?" he looked at Natasha. "You aren't teaching your young friend how to handle a knife?"

"Of course I am," she said, well aware that the boy would impress him once he saw what he could do. "Let's go look at my knives and then Peter will show you what he can do with a blade."

The shopkeeper led them to the back room of the shop, which had something of a range, with targets on the far end, and a heavy workbench against another wall that had several knives on it, in various stages of creation. There was also a kettle-looking device, an anvil and some tools that Peter had no idea what they were used for.

Rick and Natasha spent several minutes looking at a set of knives that were small – about four inches or so – and made of black metal that didn't gleam but were deadly sharp, Peter could tell. Romanoff took them and tossed them one at a time to a target, hitting the center every time.

"Nice," Natasha said, approvingly. _She_ was referring to the blades, but Peter and Rick were both thinking the same word, but they were referring to her.

"Yes, they turned out well," the shopkeeper told her when they walked over and plucked them out of the target, and then examined the blades for any sign of damage – although he knew they wouldn't show any. He handed them to Peter. "Show me what you can do."

Peter looked at Natasha, who nodded, and he tossed all six blades in quick succession at the same target, hitting the center as easily as Natasha had.

"Wow."

Peter blushed, but Natasha smiled with the pride that comes with having an adept pupil.

"We'll order him some blades, too," she told Rick. "When he's ready."

Having a set of deadly concealed blades was not something for a fifteen year old, though.

"I'll make you a good deal."

They chatted for a few more minutes, but then Natasha told them that they had to get going in order to make it back to the compound by dinner. She wrapped the new blades and put them in the glove box of the Corvette before starting the engine.

"He seems like a nice guy," Peter said.

"He is," she agreed.

As they drove out of the city, she gave him an extended version of the story of how she had met the blade master and his basic background. Peter listened with interest, always wanting to know more about Natasha's history – she didn't talk about her past that much, and he didn't pry, figuring that it was something she didn't like to talk about.

He suddenly started feeling edgy, though, when they were about halfway to the compound, and looked around, wondering what was bothering him.

Romanoff noticed immediately, of course, even though she was paying careful attention to the wet roadway as well.

"What's up?"

He shrugged, frowning.

"I don't know. Something feels weird."

"Dangerous?"

He was going to say no, but suddenly the faint concern turned into sudden alarm that coursed through him in a wave that was more forceful than anything he had ever felt before.

" _Stop!"_

She slammed on the brakes immediately, and at that same moment, Peter felt the tingle that he'd come to associate with use of magic. A moment later something invisible hit the front of the car so hard that it was rocked backward – even with the brake pedal being pressed.

Romanoff slammed the car into reverse, and hit the accelerator.

" _Left_!" Peter yelled, and she turned the Corvette that direction, still going backward.

Another bolt of invisible force crashed the rear quarter panel and turned the sports car sideways, fishtailing them, violently. Peter turned toward the source of the tingle that he was feeling. Both the magical and the cause of the danger as far as his spider senses were concerned.

"Watch out!" he warned, but Natasha had her hands full of correcting the traction of the car and the next bolt hit the car with enough power that it flipped sideways, rolling three times before coming to rest on the roof, tires still spinning crazily.

Dazed, Romanoff produced a blade from nowhere and reached out and slashed Peter's seatbelt, freeing the boy before she reached to do the same with her own.

"Go, Peter! Get out and run."

Free of the confining seatbelt, he tumbled to the ceiling of the car, kicking the broken windshield with enough force to send it flying, and then reached back and grabbed her jacket with his hand, dragging her behind him as he scrambled out of the car.

He couldn't run. His senses were telling him not to, and there was no way he would have left her behind, at any rate. Another purely internal warning, and Peter dragged her behind the car just as another blast slammed into the Corvette, knocking both of them to the concrete roadway with a screech of agonized metal and a grunt of pain from Romanoff.

"Where are they?" Natasha asked Peter, a gun in her hand even as she was trying to get to her feet.

"I don't-"

He turned, automatically knowing where the danger was coming from and both were surprised to see a single man walk into their line of sight from the other side of the car. Unarmed, with his hands up in the air in a very familiar gesture, he made a motion just as Romanoff fired a succession of shots at him. Peter pushed Natasha aside as the bullets hit a shield of yellow energy that appeared in front of the stranger, who almost at the exact same moment shot a force bolt at them which slammed into the boy instead of hitting Natasha, who had clearly been the target.

They landed in a heap, and Romanoff tapped her communicator, aware that she wasn't going to be able to handle this attack on her own, even with the assist from Peter. Before she could do much more that start her emergency broadcast, Peter was back on his feet, standing over her and suddenly making a gesture of his own toward the man.

His eyes widened in clear surprise as a force of energy shot out from Peter's gesture and slammed into the yellow shield, knocking him backward. Not for long, but long enough for Natasha to regain her feet and produce a different gun which was once more emptied at the man, who was scrambling to his feet as well.

Peter turned away from that man, and suddenly another was there, hands moving, gesturing and sending a series of magical attacks toward the two by the mangled Corvette. The boy moved to block Natasha from the attack, and managed to take the brunt, but couldn't move in time to save her from the magical attack of the original assailant. His force bolt slammed into her, knocking her into the Corvette with a brutal blow, and she crumpled.

Dazed and hurting, Peter screamed in fear as she fell, his spider senses overwhelming him with the warning of danger – for her and for himself – and the magical energies around him smashing him from seemingly all directions. He grabbed his watch and hit the button just as the two men converged on him.

" _Tony! Help!"_

He dodged the grasp of one, and felt another grab his wrist, yanking on the watch and then everything went dark as another surge of magical energy slammed into him.


	72. Chapter 72

The first indication that something was wrong came from a general emergency call that was nowhere near complete. Being general as it was, everyone on the channel received it, and it was laced with Romanoff's signature, but it cut off without anything actually being said.

That was enough to alert them, though.

Romanoff didn't do anything without a reason, though, and everywhere around the compound, heads came up, and activity ceased. Rogers and Barton headed immediately for the command center, aware that all incoming communications would go through there. Tony Stark dropped the soldering tool that he was using and shattered the connection he was completing, and started toward the door of his quarters, intending to head for the command center as well, when Strange appeared in the living area of his quarters, with a concerned, confused expression on his face and the cloak of levitation on his collar.

"What's going _on_ , Tony?" Strange asked. "I just heard an emergency-"

"I don't-"

" _Tony! Help!"_

The cry was loud enough that even Strange heard it, as close as he had been to Stark.

"Peter!"

Strange was already activating the GPS spell that they'd created and a portal was forming. Stark engaged the Ironman suit and the two men ran through the portal, and into a chaotic scene that was as terrifying for what they _saw_ as for what they didn't see.

Romanoff's Corvette was a crumpled mess. The car was on its roof, damages to all sides and the windshield completely destroyed and off to one side. The rain was pouring around them, but there was no indication that it was a car accident of any kind, and Tony turned at Friday's prompting, the AI already scanning the area even as Stark was taking in the destruction, alerting Tony to go to the other side of the car.

He rushed around, already warned by what he'd find.

"Stephen!"

Strange had followed, and both men dropped next to Romanoff's still form, Stephen's hand carefully reaching to check for a pulse while Stark watched, fearfully.

"Friday?"

" _Multiple broken bones, lacerations, contusions and internal injuries,"_ the AI reported.

"Call a medical team with a backboard and a gurney, Tony," Strange ordered, his face ashen and taut with concern. "Tell them to go to your quarters and use the portal. Hurry!"

In a normal situation if someone had snapped an order at him like that, Stark would have snapped back. This was not that sort of situation. He did what he was told, adding a command to have Steve and Clint both come to the scene as well and then disengaged the helmet of his suit, looking around.

"Where's Peter?"

Strange had summoned up blankets, towels and a large freestanding umbrella, and was starting to work on the more serious injuries on Natasha that he could see without moving her too much.

"I used _his_ GPS to get us here. He must be here. Look again."

The next scan yielded the same results as the first, although he was advised of something overlooked the first time. Stark got up, walked about four steps and then reached down and picked up Peter's watch from the asphalt.

"Someone took him," Tony said, looking down at the watch in his hand. It showed every sign of being torn off the boy's wrist. The clasp was badly damaged and torn.

"What?"

"Someone _took_ him, Stephen," Stark repeated. "They got him."

His expression bleak, Tony knelt down beside Strange and looked at Romanoff, well aware that without his watch on, they didn't have any way of tracking Peter's location. _She_ might be able to tell them who it was – or give them some idea of where to start looking for any kind of lead – but it was clear that she wasn't in any condition to do so right then. Maybe not for quite a while.

"We'll get him back, Tony," Stephen assured him, unable to put a hand on his shoulder since he was using both of them for Natasha just then.

The Cloak of Levitation reached out a corner of cloth and caressed Stark's cheek, giving him the only comfort that it could, since he couldn't feel the magical emotions coming off the thing. Before Tony could respond, the area was suddenly swarmed with people as a trauma team came hurrying around to the side of the car and pushed Stark and Strange both out of the way so they could take care of Natasha.

Both men stood side by side in the driving rain, watching as Romanoff was quickly stabilized and put on a backboard and then lifted carefully onto the gurney they'd brought.

"What happened?" Steve Rogers asked, suddenly appearing behind them, obviously having just come through the portal Strange had left open.

Barton was beside him, but he pushed his way past the medical team and went to Natasha's side.

"I don't know," Tony told Rogers, hopelessly. "Someone took Peter…"

He handed Steve the watch that he'd found on the roadway, and Steve looked at the damaged car.

"How?"

"They must have overpowered Natasha and took him."

Friday had indicated several spent rounds from two different weapons close to where Romanoff had been sprawled.

"That doesn't make any sense," Steve said, as Barton walked over, letting the medics have access to Natasha again. They were getting ready to move her back through the portal and get her to the medical facilities in the compound, which were a match for any hospital in the country – and with the portal, much faster than waiting for an ambulance. "There aren't any indications of another car being here, and Nat's Corvette wasn't hit with a car – or with any kind of firepower."

"He's right," Clint said. "The damages aren't right."

"Get a forensics team out here," Stark ordered. "See if they can figure it out."

"Where will you be?"

"I'm going back to the compound."

He had to be where Natasha was. She was hurt badly, but she was his only link to the events on the highway. If she came to anytime time soon, he was hoping she could help find the people who took Peter. Besides, if it was a _kidnapping_ , then he needed to be available for the call for ransom. And he had to call Pepper.

"The portal will stay open for as long as you need it," Strange told Rogers and Barton. "Tell me when you don't need it, and I'll bring it down." He watched as Natasha was hurried through the portal and his expression hardened. "If you need another one for some reason, let me know."

"You'll be at the compound?" Steve asked.

"Yes."

"She'll be okay," Clint told him. "Nat's tough as nails."

Strange just nodded and walked with Stark through the portal as well.

OOOOOOOO

Tony's message to Pepper was made from the waiting area outside of the medical lab. A couple of doctors – not Stephen, despite his protest – were evaluating Natasha's injures and both Strange and Stark wanted to be there. His message was succinct, and rather than have her drive back – and pass by the carnage on the road since the Corvette was still being assessed to try and figure out what had happened and how – Stephen created a portal from the side of the waiting room to Pepper's office and she stepped through only moments later.

"What happened?" she asked, walking over to Stark and putting her arms around him.

He looked pale, and scared and lost, and she needed to be held. Stark relied on tech, Strange relied on magic, and neither could help them just then.

"We're still trying to figure that out."

He explained what they knew, and the three sat down – only to have Wong walk into the waiting room a few minutes later, needing an explanation as well. He frowned when Strange finished.

"Then Peter should be back here," the other magician said. "All he needs to do is summon the teleportation stone and tell it to bring him back. The compound would certainly be his first choice of destination."

"If he _could_ , I'm certain that he would…" Strange told him, leaning back in the chair he was in and closing his eyes.

He tried to summon the stone, himself, thinking that if the rock could transport Peter to May's grave, it most certainly should be able to send him to wherever Peter was, but it didn't appear for him, no matter how much he concentrated.

"What do we do?" Pepper asked when Strange opened his eyes again.

"We wait," Tony said, reluctantly. "We have to. For now. When Natasha wakes up she can give us an idea of what happened. Who did this. Or the people who took him call us with whatever demand they have."

"What if they don't call?"

Stark didn't answer, and Wong stood.

"I'm going to see if I can come up with a locator spell."

He vanished without another word, and Strange sighed, drawing their attention to him. And _then_ drawing Tony's attention to the cloak that was still attached to his collar, occasionally caressing his cheek. Stark sat up a bit more, suddenly alert.

"Peter told me that the cloak would sometimes sneak into his room at their apartment when it wanted to sleep with him…"

"So?"

"So, can _it_ find him? It would have to know where he _was_ in order to sneak in and be with him, right?"

"Yes." he sat up a little straighter, too, and turned his attention to the Cloak of Levitation.

He usually followed it to Peter's location in the compound, as well, rather than search for the boy. Now to figure out how to find out if it could help them.

"Do you know where Peter is?"

The cloak detached itself from Strange's collar and hovered in front of the three, but it couldn't answer them, and they didn't have Peter there to translate for them.

"Tap his shoulder once for yes, and twice for no," Stark suggested to it, leaning forward intently. "Do you know where Peter is right now?"

The cloak tapped Strange's shoulder twice, immediately.

"Do you know who took him?"

Another no.

"It's not a _crystal ball_ , Tony," Strange reminded him. "Can you find him?"

A yes.

"But not yet?"

No.

"Because of distance?" Strange guessed.

Another yes.

"Are you _looking_ for him?" Tony asked.

Immediately it tapped Strange once.

"When you find him can you take me to him?"

A no.

"Can you take _Stephen_?"

No.

Stark sighed, and it tapped his shoulder several times, obviously wanting to convey some kind of message, but one that wasn't a yes or no.

"When you locate him, you'll go to him?" Strange asked.

A definite yes.

"So it can't teleport someone," Stark said. "But maybe we could tag it? Lowjack it with a transponder so we could find it once it finds Peter?"

Another yes.

Stark stood up, relieved to have something to do. Some positive forward progress to make.

"I'll be right back."

He left, and Pepper looked over at Stephen.

"You'll help him bring Peter back?"

"I'll tear down whatever building he's in brick by brick until we get him back," he promised her.

And _then_ whoever was responsible for taking the boy – and hurting _Natasha_ – was going to pay.


	73. Chapter 73

"You should have just _killed_ him."

"I know."

"That was the plan. You remember that, right?"

"It was _my_ plan. Of course I remember. But he threw a force bolt at me. Wong didn't mention he was a magic user."

"So you'll kill a kid, but not a magician?"

"I'll kill anyone that poses a threat to the sanctum or the items in it. You know that. But he's a magic user. As young as he is, and it was a powerful spell."

"It's a little late to try to recruit him, now. Killing the girlfriend stopped any chance of that."

Peter was coming to slowly, forcing his way through a red haze of pain. He hurt everywhere, and the odd position he was in didn't allow him any respite from the pain. Even more, when he tried to move his hand to rub his aching head, he found that he couldn't move anything lower than his neck.

Something had him pinned, standing upright with his back against an unforgiving wall. His arms were spread, his hands about shoulder high, which hurt, too, and he looked at his wrist and saw that his watch was gone, and the skin there was a bloody mess where someone had ripped the communication device off. The bracelet was still on his other wrist, but he couldn't even move his fingers, and he couldn't think of any way to use a single web shooter, even if he could have triggered it.

When he looked around, wincing when it made his head hurt even more, he saw that he was in an open room with no furniture and no windows. All that there was was a door across from the wall that he was against – and while it was open, he couldn't see anything other than a hallway through it.

He struggled against the invisible bonds that held him, sobbing silently in pain and grief at the knowledge that Natasha was dead. He could feel the nonstop tingle of magic around him, but it wasn't comforting like the cloak usually was and wasn't cheerful like the rock that liked to teleport people. Freezing, Peter closed his eyes and thought about getting loose and that he wanted to be elsewhere. The rock could send him back to the compound. Then he could get help, and they could deal with the men who'd attacked him and Natasha.

He felt his throat closing at the thought of facing any of them without her, though. He'd have to admit that he hadn't been quick enough, or strong enough, or smart enough to protect her. He'd never be able to face Dr. Strange, again. Not when he knew what his lack of ability had cost the man. But he needed to get to the compound to tell them what had happened. And how it had happened.

Peter felt something strike the palm of his hand and looked over just in time to see the stone hit him, obviously reacting to his call. But then it dropped to the floor, and he couldn't close his hand to catch it. The spell – it _had_ to be a spell because of the magical tingling that was nonstop in his head – was holding his hand open and even though the rock tried again, he couldn't hold it to use it.

Another sob, this one of frustration, as the stone tried to land itself in his hand several more times but fell at each attempt, and finally Peter told it silently to stop, and it lay still at his feet. The sound of the rock falling – or maybe his sobs weren't as silent as he thought – must have made the men aware that he was coming around, because he felt the tingle that told him to be wary and a moment later both men were coming through the doorway, watching him.

Both were tall, almost a foot taller than Peter. One – the one he recognized as the man that had killed Natasha – was blonde, with long hair and a sallow complexion that made Peter think he probably spent less time out in the sun than he did. His face was narrow but his gray eyes were intelligent, and his expression was hard and unforgiving. He reminded Peter of Dr. Strange. In the way that he walked and how he held himself, well aware that he was powerful enough to hold his own against anyone; self-disciplined and confident.

The other man was dark skinned, bulky but not fat as far as Peter could tell, and he, too, walked with that easy confidence that screamed he was good at what he did and didn't fear anyone.

Peter hated them both, immediately.

"Awake, I see," the first man – _Blondie_ , Peter decided – said as they walked up to the wall he was pinned against.

The boy didn't answer, knowing that there really wasn't anything to say. Especially after the conversation he'd already heard. They were going to kill him and it probably didn't matter what he said. He certainly wasn't going to beg them to let him go.

"He's talking to you, kid," the other man said, watching Peter intently. His dark eyes were just as intelligent, but his expression was slightly troubled, as if he wasn't happy with the way things were going.

Peter didn't care. A wave of antipathy surged through him as he remembered the way Natasha had fallen to the ground after being hit with the magical attack of the blonde – and that Peter hadn't been able to protect her from it because he'd been dealing with the attack from the other one. He was too baby-faced to look threatening, but he wasn't planning on holding a conversation with either of them.

"Are you thirsty?" Blondie asked, making a gesture with one hand. A bottle of water suddenly appeared in it.

"No."

"Where did you learn magic?" Blondie asked him, the water bottle vanishing.

"Go to hell."

That earned him a slap. Blondie didn't appreciate the answer, and he backhanded Peter hard enough to snap his head sideways. Peter tasted blood in his mouth when he bit his cheek, but he didn't cry out or make a noise.

"Who taught you magic?" Blondie repeated. "Wong? _Strange_?"

Peter spat blood, but didn't reply, and both men scowled. Blondie because he was suddenly furious. The other guy because he apparently didn't like the idea of hitting someone who was already defenseless.

"We're not going to _hurt_ you, kid," the man told him, which made Peter and Blondie both look at him in disbelief. His dark face managed to show his blush, it was that deep. "I mean, not while you're-"

Suddenly there was a surge of magical tingle and Peter turned his head just in time to see a motion at the doorway. Both men followed his gaze just in time to see a heavy piece of fabric come rocketing through the door and make a beeline for the boy against the wall. Blondie's hands came up and shields were suddenly in front of him, as if he expected an attack. The dark skinned man moved to the side as the Cloak of Levitation seemed to be going right at him.

To the shock of both men, the relic wrapped itself around Peter's head and neck, crooning worry and encouragement into the boy's mind but not making any apparent threat to the two magicians. Peter felt something hard hit his cheek as it covered him and realized that something metal was stuck in the corner of the fabric.

Something that _he'd_ never seen on the thing, before, and Peter knew the cloak as well as he knew anything.

"That's _Strange's_ cloak," the dark-skinned man said, looking back toward the door, obviously expecting the man to be nearby. "Where did it come from?"

"Who cares?" Blondie said. "Not even Strange has the power to enter the sanctum without permission. We'll be done with-"

Suddenly there was a red haze in the hallway beyond the doorway, and Peter felt such a surge of magical energy that he gasped with pain and felt the cloak wrapping itself even tighter around him, protecting him and dulling the magic he was feeling until it didn't hurt quite so bad. He saw the two men turn and then a woman he didn't recognize was suddenly standing in the doorway.

Dazed as he was, Peter assumed that she was with them. She was obviously a magician of some kind, considering the magical energy that was buffeting Peter in waves, even through the protection of the cloak.

"What-?" Blondie threw up a shield just as a streak of red slammed his direction and knocked him back, into Peter, who had no way of protecting himself from the impact. He grunted in pain, but the woman made a gesture, again there was a red streak and suddenly Blondie was flying sideways through the air, away from him and slamming into a wall.

" _Hey!"_

The woman turned toward the dark skinned magician, which allowed Blondie a chance to regain his feet, and both magicians sent magical attacks at her, simultaneously. A shield – red like everything else that seemed to be associated with her – appeared out of nowhere, and the force of the attack was repelled, most rebounding back at the magicians who had sent them and the rest hitting Peter, who was so surprised that he couldn't even cry out when he was hit by it, although the cloak had moved enough to absorb some of the assault.

Peter fought down the wave of agony and nausea as another shield – another _red_ shield – appeared protectively in front of him, just as a circle of yellow appeared in the middle of the room, growing larger. The addition of more magic into the vicinity didn't matter by then, he was already overwhelmed, but the portal grew quickly, and a moment later Stephen Strange and Ironman were in the room, and the place suddenly wasn't big enough to hold all the chaos that was ensuing.


	74. Chapter 74

They'd been in the waiting room, sitting on sofas that must have been uncomfortable since Tony kept getting out of his and pacing, despite Pepper's calming presence so close at hand. Strange's seat must have been just as bad, because he would stand up any time Stark sat down and was also pacing.

All three had been startled when the cloak suddenly came alive and slapped Strange to get his attention. A moment later, it vanished, and Stark activated the GPS device Stephen had attached to the corner of the relic. Then they'd waited for the device to send back a signal, which would be all they needed for Strange to portal them in.

It had taken longer than expected, but Strange finally nodded, and gestured. Pepper watched the portal form and then grow.

"Bring him back, guys," she told them, as Tony engaged the Ironman suit.

"We will."

They went through the portal and into a frenzied mess.

Stark had seen Wong and Strange spar with magic, but the battle that he saw wasn't in good fun – or even in practice. Two guys that he didn't know were trading all kinds of magical blows with – of all people – Wanda Maximoff. Tony could see the energy she was putting out as red in every spectrum that Friday was using when they entered the room. He couldn't _see_ the other magic, but there was a change in the air pressure each time a spell was cast, and Friday could track that.

Friday pointed Peter out immediately, and the Ironman suit fired off several repulser rounds directly at the two unknown men, drawing their attention from Maximoff long enough for her to acknowledge he was there. Both men threw force bolts at Ironman while at the same time throwing shields up against the firepower Tony aimed at them.

What he wanted to do was drop a bomb on them, but knew better. Bringing the entire building down on them wasn't the best course of action. Instead, he tried to maneuver into a position in front of Peter, whose head and neck was almost completely covered by the cloak. The boy _had_ been standing when they'd exited the portal, but now he was slumped against the wall in what looked like a lifeless heap.

Strange didn't know who the woman was. He immediately knew she was a threat, but was quick enough to notice that she seemed to be defending Peter, and Tony hadn't gone for her when he'd brought firepower down on the others. Which meant she probably didn't have anything to do with taking Peter – _or_ hurting Natasha.

He _did_ recognize the two other men – and they recognized him. The magicians who protected the London sanctum were under a serious assault from the woman, who was now standing beside Ironman, flinging red force bolts at them with both hands and deflecting their attacks with a skill that made him wonder how she'd been below his radar until just then.

"Jorgan, _stop_!"

Strange hesitated to attack a man who held what was basically the same position _he_ had – and someone he knew – at least, not without warning.

The blonde magician turned his attack to Strange, answering his command without leaving any doubt what he thought of being given orders in his own home. Stephen brought up a shield, and replied in kind, his own force bolts flinging at both men in such rapid succession that it drove them both back several steps.

The dark skinned wizard gestured, and Maximoff was suddenly at risk of falling through a portal. She lost her balance as a force bolt slammed into one of the shields in front of her, and was forced backwards and would have been lost through the portal if not for a sudden jet of webbing that caught the front of her jacket, snapping taut and then jerking her back into the room away from the portal.

She stumbled against the blonde and he was knocked backward against Peter, who was slammed to the floor by the man's momentum. The Cloak of Levitation reached out, then, and the magician screamed as a jolt of energy that had nothing to do with a magical attack from Maximoff or Strange suddenly coursed through his entire body. The battle in the basement stopped completely as all eyes turned toward that terrible sound and the blonde magician slumped to the floor, clearly dead and out of the fight, with smoke rising from his body and the smell of singed skin and hair making everyone a little ill.

The cloak snapped itself away from the corpse and wrapped around Peter once more, murmuring into the boy's mind calmly, as if it hadn't just fried a man only a moment before.

The dark skinned magician froze, looking at the other three in the room. Stark was now between the magician and Peter, his metal encased body protecting the boy from anything the man might think of throwing at him. Strange, too, was waiting for a mistake and Maximoff was watching, her hand up but no red tinge marring her features at the moment.

A movement at the door caught their attention and Wong suddenly appeared, startling the magician, who let loose a force bolt at the new arrival. Wong reacted predictably, and a deadly barrage of energy knocked down first the man's shielding and then the dark skinned magician was thrown backward, landing in a lifeless heap at Maximoff's feet.

Unlike Strange, Wong had no compunction about using deadly force and making sure a threat didn't come back to fight another day. not even someone who he'd had dinner with that very week.

The threats taken care of, Tony disengaged the Ironman suit and went to the floor beside Peter's still form, pulling the cloak away, carefully – mindful of the fact that it might still be hyper alert and not wanting to end up looking like the blonde magician.

"Peter?"

The boy's eyes were closed and his face was bruised and swollen, with a single cut on his cheek.

Strange dropped to the floor on the other side of him, reaching for the wrist that wasn't bloody so he could check for a pulse.

"Peter?" Stark said, softly, tapping the boy's cheek gently with a finger. "Hey… come on, wake up…"

Peter opened his eyes, his expression pained and tears welling up in his eyes as he looked first at Stark, and then at Strange.

"Tony…"

"Yeah."

"They killed Natasha, Tony…" the boy whispered, brokenly. "I couldn't hold them off and they..."

"She's _fine_ , Peter," Stephen assured him, his palm cupping the cheek that wasn't cut. "They didn't kill her. She's back at the compound being taken care of."

"Let's get you there, too," Stark said. He looked at Strange. "Safe to move him?"

"Yeah."

The doctor stood up and gestured, making a portal that led to the medlab waiting room. Then watched as Tony picked Peter up carefully, cloak and all, and carried him through to the safety of the compound = and Pepper. He and Wong looked at the corpses of the magicians and then at Maximoff, who had been watching.

'I'm Stephen Strange."

She nodded.

"I know. Wanda Maximoff."

"I am Wong."

Maximoff nodded again, but didn't say anything.

"Do you know what happened her, Ms. Maximoff?" Strange asked.

"Yes. It's a long story, and I know Tony will want to hear it as well. Shall we?"

Strange nodded, and looked at Wong.

"Take care of things here," he requested. "We'll need to get a new guardian for this sanctum."

"I'll let them know."

Strange turned and walked through the portal with Maximoff.


	75. Chapter 75

Peter fell asleep – or _passed_ _out_ , most likely – before the doctors had even started to undress him to check his injuries. He was awake long enough for Pepper to have a chance to touch his cheek and reassure herself that he really _was_ there, and really _was_ safe. When he closed his eyes only moments later, they'd told her that they'd run tests to look for broken bones and internal injuries and would put him to bed and let her know which room so that she could spend some time with him later.

Until then, Wanda Maximoff was the most interesting guest at the compound – and after her help with Peter – she was also one of the most _welcomed_. They went to the lounge, because most of them really needed a drink after the scary events of the day. And she went with them, well aware that Tony would have a million questions and that she could provide a few answers.

"How did you know about Peter and Natasha?" Tony asked as soon as they were all seated around a table, with Pepper beside him holding his hand under the table, and a drink in his other hand.

"I didn't," she admitted. "Vision knew as soon as it was happening – through the Mind stone and his connection with it."

"But obviously he couldn't go help," Steve said. "Because of how sensitive Peter is to it."

"Correct. It would kill him if overly exposed – and Vision thinks that the gem itself would not allow him to get that close, now that it understands the danger it holds to the boy."

"Can it control him?" Tony asked, curiously.

Wanda shrugged. "He doesn't want to test it."

"I don't blame him," Strange said, also holding a drink.

"The stone attempted to assist Peter during the attack itself," she said. "If you don't already know, it can use _Peter_ – with memories from Dr. Strange – to do magic if it thinks that it is what is best for him. And it will. And _has_."

"So he fought them with _magic_?" Clint asked, fascinated to hear new things about his young friend. Especially when they were interesting, like this.

"Yes. Had he been fighting only _one_ of them, it's very possible that he would have held out long enough for help to have arrived."

"Couldn't the stone have helped him escape?"

"Yes, possibly. But he wouldn't have left Natasha."

They were all silent at that for a long moment, each well aware how Romanoff would have fared on her own against two magicians. Natasha was incredible and they all knew it, but she wouldn't have been a match for them.

"Then what happened?" Tony asked, finally. "After they grabbed Peter."

"We're not certain. The stone is attuned to Peter, so Vision can see some of what the boy is thinking through it, and some of happens with him – the sleepwalking, for instance – and the concerns that he carries with him day to day. When he was overtaken, though, he lost consciousness and the stone lost its connection with him."

"Which is why you had to wait to save him until he was awake again?" Strange asked.

"Right," she said, nodding. "The stone connected with the boy once he was awake again and his captors were interrogating him. It learned where they were through the abductors and _through_ them and it, Vision knew, and told me so I could go try to help."

"Why didn't you come to us?" Stark asked.

"I was pretty sure I didn't need any help."

Strange had to raise an eyebrow at that, and it made him wonder just how powerful the woman truly was. Anyone who was strong enough to feel confident enough to take on two fully trained and experience masters of the mystic arts was definitely someone to be reckoned with. Not to mention, she _was_ holding her own with them when they'd portalled into the room.

"What did they want from him?" the doctor asked, curiously, trying to understand what the London sanctum keepers were even thinking to grab a boy from the Avengers so violently.

"They were going to kill him," she answered, matter of factly, looking over at Tony since she knew he was going to have the most negative reaction to that statement.

He did, too. His hand tightened in Pepper's and he closed his eyes for just a moment as that particular possibility – which had gone through his head a million times while they'd waited for the cloak to locate Peter – was visualized yet again.

"Why?" he finally asked. "What possible reason would they want him dead?"

"To protect their sanctum from him."

"What?" Strange asked, frowning and leaning forward, intently.

"The boy is magically inclined – although untrained and not terribly interested in the power that comes from learning the mystic arts. He also _feels_ the magic and can connect with magic – and magical _items_ – in ways that no one understands and can replicate. It was a frightening thing to them when they considered the danger he posed to this world, and every other world, should Peter decide to start a campaign for dominion."

"He wouldn't do that," Clint said, disdainfully.

"They didn't know that," she pointed out. "They don't know him, only the dangers that he represented to them."

"So they would kill a boy just over the potential danger he represents…?" Tony asked.

"Yes."

"If someone had seen the potential for the harm Hitler caused, do you think they would have acted against him as a child?" Steve pointed out.

"That's different," Tony snapped.

"How?" Wanda asked.

"Because Peter isn't _Hitler_."

"No. And he won't _ever_ be," Maximoff agreed. "There's the potential for power within him, but he doesn't have the love of glory, power or money that would ever turn him to do anything destructive. All he wants is to belong and to love and to be loved."

"Which he _is_ ," Tony said.

She smiled and nodded.

"Yes. And he knows it."

Stark looked at Strange.

"Are we going to have to worry about this happening again with other wizards, Stephen?"

"No. For one thing, the object lesson is there. Both men are dead and it wasn't Peter that killed either of them. The message is clear. He'll be defended. Not just by the people around him, but by the very magic that they all live with in their daily lives. The cloak killing someone to protect Peter is going spread - because I'll make sure Wong spreads it. Besides, I'll talk to the others personally and make sure that they understand his lack of grandiose notions."

Stark nodded his acceptance of that and looked back at Wanda, but she shrugged.

"You know what happened, next. You were there."

"Did the cloak really kill one of them?" Steve asked, uncertain that he believed it.

"Oh yeah," Stark said, nodding. "Like a bug in a bug zapper."

"And just as apt a description," Strange agreed. "It's done it before, though. Peter told us a while back."

"It was still something to see."

"He had it coming," Clint said, without any doubt in his expression.

Of course, he was still worried about Natasha, even though she'd come through surgery to repair her internal injuries without a hitch and the doctor's had put her to be with plenty of painkillers and had assured them all that she'd be fine sooner rather than later.

Stark agreed, but he let that comment pass.

"You mentioned Peter's sleepwalking," he said to Wanda. "Does Vision have any suggestions how to make it stop?"

"Probably nothing that you'd approve of, Tony."

"Oh?"

She shrugged.

"I could get into his head and make them stop, directly."

She'd been in _their_ heads, and they all knew it. It hadn't been pleasant. He was fairly certain whatever she did to Peter wouldn't be similar to that experience, but he didn't like the idea of letting anyone loose in the boy's mind. Between the Mind stone, the cloak and now that transporter rock, there were plenty of things that didn't necessarily belong there already.

Although, he had to admit that he was grateful that the cloak had been.

He looked over at Pepper, wondering if she thought it would be something to try, and was relieved when she shook her head, agreeing with his thoughts.

"No. thanks, though. We'll work on it the old fashioned way for now."

She smiled, not at all surprised by the answer.

"I'd better get back."

"You guys doing okay?" Tony asked. "Need anything?"

"No. But thank you for asking."

She hugged Clint, and then Steve, and left the lounge.

Tony stood up, too.

"I'm going to go check on Peter."


	76. Chapter 76

_A/N: You guys are being a little spoiled, I have to admit. Between my broken ankle, and the fact that it's the weekend, it's Seattle and pouring rain so I'm stuck inside and pretty much in bed, I have all the time in the world to write as many chapters as I want. However, Monday is coming, and back to work for me! Which means only one or two chapters a day, again. So enjoy! I have been._

OOOOOOOO

When Tony, Pepper and Stephen walked into the room that the medics had put Peter and Natasha in for observation, they found the three full time doctors in the compound all gathered around the light display on the wall, looking at x-rays. Assuming correctly that they were discussing Peter's, he glanced at the boy in the bed for a moment, and the super spy in the one that was nearer to the far wall, but then went over to talk to them, Pepper following because she didn't want to let go of Tony's hand just then, and Strange because he wanted to know how they were doing, also.

"He woke up when we were taking our pictures," Dr. Adams told them. "Spoke with us for a minute and then went back to sleep."

"How is he?"

"No broken bones," she said, gesturing at the x-rays they'd been looking at. "A _lot_ of bruising, though; his torso, hip and leg. Sprained left wrist, which also was torn up a bit – we bandaged it, but it doesn't need anything more than a brace – and he's got a cut on his cheek and a few bruises there, as well. He's a bit fevered, but it's probably just from being hurt. He'll be sore for a while, but he's fine."

"Thank you. And Natasha?"

"Lacerated liver, collapsed lung, broken ribs that had us worried since one was pressing a little close to her liver, fractured left forearm, bruises pretty much everywhere – like Peter – and a concussion. She came through surgery fine and will need some bedrest but she'll be okay, too."

"They're just going to need rest," one of the other doctors added, as Strange looked at the x-rays on the lit display. "And they're both being administered some pretty strong painkillers, so don't expect any really coherent conversation right now."

"Thanks, guys. We can see them?"

"Sure."

Strange moved over to Natasha's bed, but Pepper and Tony went to Peter's, and Stark let go of Pepper's hand to sit in the chair beside the bed, bringing him down low enough that he was able to be on eye level with the sleeping boy.

They'd dressed him in white hospital scrubs, which made his pale face seem even more so. The only color was from the bruising on his cheek and the small cut that was between his cheekbone and his jaw. He was sleeping on his side, turned toward the chair, with the Cloak of Levitation draped over his shoulder and along his body, the relic adding its own comfort, even though the boy was slightly fevered and probably would be for a while. At that moment, Tony wasn't going to deny the thing anything it wanted, and if it wanted to cuddle with Peter, fine.

Tony reached out a gentle hand and pressed it lightly against the boy's cheek, just below the cut.

"Peter?"

He didn't want to wake him, but he couldn't help himself. He needed to be able to reassure himself that he was okay, and he couldn't do that just by looking at him – because he didn't _look_ okay.

Peter opened his eyes, though, and looked over at Stark, sleepily. Tony smiled, and brushed his thumb lightly against his cheek.

"Hey…"

"Hi, Tony…"

His voice was a mere whisper, but that was fine. Stark's was, too.

"How do you feel?"

"Sore," he admitted. His expression grew alarmed, suddenly. "Natasha?"

"She's fine," he said, quick to reassure. "She's sleeping."

Tony kept his hand where it was, but moved his body just enough that Peter could look over at the other bed in the room, and could see Romanoff asleep in it, with Strange in a chair beside her bed.

"She's okay?"

"Yeah."

The boy's eyes watered, and he saw a tear trickle down Peter's nose to fall into his pillow.

"They said she was-"

"She's _not_ ," he assured him, watching as another tear fell, and brushing them away with his thumb. He'd lost so much already, he wanted to make sure Peter understood that Romanoff wasn't on that list, and was in no danger of being on that list just then. "She's sore and she will be for a while, but she's going to be fine. You might have to stay out of her bed for a while, though, to keep from hurting her."

"Okay." He paused, and then looked at him. "They took my watch…"

"I know. We got it back, though. I'll fix it for you."

"Thanks."

"Pepper wants to say hi, and then we're going to leave you alone so you can get some rest, okay?"

"Yeah."

It was a measure of how miserable he was that he didn't tell Stark that he was fine and didn't need any rest. Tony leaned over and pressed his cheek against the boy's, feeling his hand come up to touch his chin, and remembering what Wanda had said about all that Peter wanted in life.

"I love you," he murmured, pressing a kiss against Peter's temple.

The boy's shoulders shook with silent sobs, and he closed his eyes, his hand once more reaching for Stark.

"I love you, too…"

Stark cleared his throat, and the sudden lump that was in it, and brushed his hand against the boy's cheek once more before moving and relinquishing the chair to Pepper, who had to wipe her eyes before she sat down by the bed.

"Hi, Pepper…"

She smiled at him, and brushed her fingers against his temple.

"Hi, baby. How do you feel?"

"Fine."

She doubted that, but didn't argue with him, just then.

"Do you need anything?"

He nodded.

"Will you ask Steve if Jack can sleep with me?"

"Jack?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know, Peter…"

A rambunctious puppy was probably not the best bedmate for the injured boy just then.

" _Please_ , Pepper?"

Tony shook his head with an amused smile as Peter's eyes seemed to grow bigger, and _younger_ , and hopeful. He knew the boy couldn't possibly be doing it on purpose, but those sad puppy eyes were turned on full power just then, and Pepper was in the crosshairs of all of that cuteness. He was glad it wasn't him, because he would have already given in. Especially just then.

 _She_ gave in, too, but equivocated just a bit – in case one of the doctor's vetoed the idea out of hand. That way she wasn't going to break a promise made.

"I'll _ask_."

He smiled.

"Okay."

"Get some rest, sweetheart. We'll be close by if you need anything."

"'kay…"

He closed his eyes and she leaned over and kissed his temple, too, but he was already almost asleep, again.

Pepper got up, and they went over to check on Natasha, who was soundly sleeping and not awake to feel Stephen holding her hand.

"Come on," Tony told his friend. "Let's let them get some sleep."

Strange looked like he was going to argue, and try to stay where he was, but Pepper stepped up and rested her hand on the doctor's shoulder, then brushed his cheek.

"I'll buy you guys a cup of coffee."

He sighed and nodded, looking down at Natasha once more before releasing her hand and standing up.

"An offer I can't refuse."


	77. Chapter 77

The beeping of a monitor close at hand woke Natasha Romanoff from a fairly sound slumber. The dull pain in her side made certain that she wasn't going to go back to sleep right away. She sighed, softly, and opened her eyes, her normally agile mind dulled a little by the narcotics that were being sent into her system by the IV attached to her arm, but still already thinking back and trying to remember why she was so sore.

She opened her eyes, then, with a sudden surge of concern, remembering that someone was after Peter and that she wasn't able to stop them.

Before she could panic, she realized that she wasn't on the road any longer, and to judge from the room, she was in the Avenger's compound in one of the medical rooms. Her hand went to her side with a wince as she recognized the pain of broken ribs, and then she saw the form sleeping in the chair beside her bed, leaned over with his head resting beside her hip and a bandaged hand and wrist _almost_ touching her, but not quite. The Cloak of Levitation was draped over his back, but when she moved the corner closest to her brushed against her arm in greeting.

Natasha frowned, and reached down and brushed her fingers along his hair and then his cheek. He was hot, but not dangerously fevered.

"Peter?"

The boy stirred, mumbled something and then turned his head to look at her, sleepily. His expression lit up a little when he saw she was awake, and he sat up. She was dismayed by the bruising and swelling on his face, and saw there was a cut on his cheek. Not even bad enough to warrant a bandage, but enough for her to realize that something must have happened because they hadn't won the fight on the highway.

"Natasha…" he started to reach for her, and then hesitated and brought his hand back, as if afraid to do so. "You're awake."

"Yeah." She had no such compunction about touching him, and brushed her hand along his forehead and cheek. "How long have I been asleep?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "They brought me back last night and it's early morning, now."

She noticed that he didn't have his watch on, and had been forced to look at the clock on the wall of the room. Natasha followed his gaze and found that it _was_ early. Almost four AM.

"Where were you?" Romanoff asked, confused.

He shrugged.

"I'm not sure. The two guys that attacked us had me in a room somewhere." He hesitated, his expression going bleak and upset. "Then the cloak came, and a woman who helped free me with red colored magic, and then Tony and Dr. Strange were there, the cloak killed the blonde guy, I think Wong might have killed the other one, and then I was back here."

"A woman with red magic?"

He nodded, and shrugged.

"I've never seen her before. I don't think."

"Describe her. _Can_ you?"

She'd been teaching him to be more aware of his surroundings, but it sounded like a lot had been going on, and she thought maybe it might have been too much to ask for him to be able to tell her what the woman had liked like with so much chaos around him.

He did, though, and she knew immediately who he was talking about.

"Where is she, now?"

"I don't know."

"Where's Stephen?"

"I'm not sure. Sorry…"

She smiled, and brushed her hand against his cheek again. She was throwing too many questions at him, and if he'd been out like she had, then it wasn't fair to expect him to know the answers.

"Why aren't you in bed?"

"I wanted to be by you."

"Then why aren't you in _my_ bed?"

"I'm not _supposed_ to," he explained. "So I don't hurt you."

She looked down at the bed she was in. It wasn't large, but neither were either of them. Carefully moving a little to the side, wincing when she moved the sore ribs even the smallest amount, she patted the spot she created.

"Come cuddle with me. I could use the company."

He looked tempted, but still afraid.

"I don't want to hurt you…"

"You won't."

"Are you sure?"

Natasha smiled, thinking that he was probably the only male in the world that she'd ever have to try to convince to join her in her bed.

"You'll hurt my _feelings_ if you don't. You don't want to do _that_ , do you?"

"No."

She glanced down at herself to make sure she had something on – one never knew with doctors, after all – and then pulled her blankets back, and patted the spot, again. This time he gingerly joined her, trying not to bump her as well as trying to protect his own aches and pains. Once he was settled on his side, right up against hers, she flipped the blankets over him and then the cloak draped itself over both of them.

Peter's hand rested against her side, but he was careful not to press himself against her like he wanted to.

"You're okay?" he asked, his cheek coming to rest on her pillow beside hers, instead of on her collarbone which was his favorite spot for cuddling.

"Yes." She took hold of his hand and rested it on her stomach, below the aching ribs. "I'm pretty sure that I told you to run away…"

"You _did_."

"But you didn't even _try_ to, did you?"

"I couldn't."

"You hurt your legs?"

"No," he admitted, well aware that she could be angry with him for not doing as he was told – but unwilling to lie to her. "I couldn't leave you alone with those guys."

She shook her head and smiled, to show him she wasn't upset.

"We'll have to work on your self-preservation skills a little more."

"Okay."

He closed his eyes, and she caressed his hand because that was the only part of him that she could reach and was asleep again in moments, far too tired and hurt to hold any kind of conversation. Peter knew when she fell asleep, and he debated leaving her alone to let her get more rest than she probably would if she had to share her bed. He was warm, though, and comfortable. The cloak was crooning a lullaby in his mind, and besides, he really didn't want to leave. Instead, he fell asleep, too.

OOOOOOOO

"You've got to be _kidding_ me…"

Stark shook his head and smiled over at Pepper, who was looking over at Natasha's bed – and Peter's empty one.

"I _told_ you to bring the puppy…"

"Then we'd probably have all three of them in the bed."

Besides, the doctors had vetoed the idea of Jack joining Peter in his bed until the boy was back in his own quarters. Tony had been willing to override the doctor if Pepper wanted him to – and Steve had agreed to let them borrow the puppy, but none of them expected that Peter would be up for much more than just sleeping for now.

Obviously the boy – and Natasha – had other plans. Tony and Pepper walked over to the bed. Peter was nestled right up beside her, but not wrapped in her arms, so he could probably be moved without much jarring for either of them. Pepper didn't bother, though.

Instead, she leaned over and brushed a kiss against his cheek, which made him mumbled something in his sleep, but he didn't open his eyes.

"Make sure he eats, okay?" she told Tony, as they walked out of the medical room and went toward the garage.

"I will. Soon as he wakes up."

"I'll be back early." She was going to go to work, but shed already decided it was going to be a half day. "Call me if he needs anything."

Stark smiled, and stopped in the corridor, pulling her into his arms and pressing a kiss against her forehead.

"You _could_ just stay here today and hover over him like I'm going to…"

Pepper shook her head, but she smiled, too.

"Momma's got to bring home the bacon. Besides, it'd be inconvenient to reschedule this meeting."

"Then come home when the meeting's over."

"I might."


	78. Chapter 78

"Peter…?"

It was Strange's voice, and it wasn't more than a whisper. He opened his eyes, and felt someone holding him carefully from behind. He saw Natasha sleeping beside him, still, her head only inches from his nose, and turned to see what was going on.

Strange and Stark were both by the bed, and it was Tony who had his hand on Peter's side, keeping him from rolling closer to Natasha should he decide that he wasn't ready to wake up when they tried to rouse him.

"Shhh…" Stark said, softly, his eyes going to Natasha. "Don't wake her up, okay?"

The boy nodded, moving his hand carefully from hers, and then using that hand to push himself a little ways away from her – although he was sore and stiff and it seemed everything hurt.

"The doctors are going to give you a check up, and then they need to check _Natasha's_ injuries," Strange murmured. "They're going to need you out of her bed to do that, though. And you probably don't want to be there for it, anyway."

"Okay."

They didn't seem annoyed that he was there, though, which was a relief. He wondered if they thought that he'd been sleepwalking and ended up in her bed. Which wasn't the case this time. Just lack of willpower and the inability to say no to her – especially since he hadn't wanted to say _no_ in the first place.

"Let's get you on your feet," Tony said, helping Peter sit up as if he understood that the boy hurt too much to try it on his own.

Once he was sitting upright on the edge of Natasha's bed, Stephen moved to the other side of Peter and the two men pretty much picked him up and set him on his feet, still holding him in case his legs wouldn't support him.

"Ow…"

"Yeah, you're pretty banged up," Tony said, just glad to see him awake and lucid. "Once the doctor checks you out, if they're okay with it, we're going to take you to the lounge to eat while they take care of Natasha."

"Is she alright?"

"She _will_ be," Strange assured him. "She's just not as hard-headed as you are, so she'll take a little longer to heal."

Besides, Peter was _Spiderman_ and far more durable than even a super spy was.

They moved him to his bed and helped him sit on the edge of it, then stepped back as a doctor that he knew but didn't really _know_ entered the room and walked over to his bed. She smiled to see him upright and put her hand on his forehead.

"Hello, Peter," she said. "I'm Dr. Adams. Remember me?"

He hesitated, because he really didn't – only that he'd seen her in the lounge a few times, and once or twice when she'd been swimming laps in the pool. He hadn't been expecting a female doctor.

"Still fevered, I see. How do you feel?"

"Fine."

She checked the bruises on his face, and made sure the cut had scabbed over, and nodded, pleased by what she saw.

"Take off your shirt," she said. "Let's check those bruises."

Peter blushed and slowly pulled his shirt off, his sore arms and lack of enthusiasm at having a doctor he didn't know – especially a _woman_ doctor – give him an exam making the task take much longer than it should. She ran her hands along his ribs and his belly, each time asking him if it hurt and each time being told no, even though he clearly winced every time she put a hand on him.

She wasn't fooled, and while _Tony_ looked confused, Strange's expression was amused as he watched the examination continue. Which wasn't helping Peter at all.

"Okay. Now your pants," Dr. Adams told him, stepping back to give him room to stand up. "Let's check the bruising on your legs and hip."

"They're _fine_ ," Peter assured her.

"I'm the doctor," she reminded him with a tolerant smile. "Maybe you should let _me_ decide that."

"Um… _no_."

Stephen snorted at the adamant refusal, the sound just short of a bark of laughter, and she scowled at him.

"Maybe you'd be more comfortable out in the _hall_ while we finish this, _doctor_?"

Stark had finally figured out what was going on and stepped in, amused because Peter was so flustered, but not amused enough to have fun at the boy's expense now that he had figured out the problem.

"We can probably assume that the bruises on his legs and hip are the same as the ones on his chest," he said to the doctor. "If not, then _Stephen_ can check them. Later."

She huffed and shook her head, obviously used to the military men and women at the compound who did as they were told and not a bashful teenaged boy, but she also had enough of a sense of humor to see that there _was_ an element of amusement.

"Do I need to remind you gentlemen who put him in those scrubs in the first place?"

Peter closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands with a groan. If there was ever a time to call that rock and go somewhere else – _anywhere_ else – this was definitely it.

OOOOOOOO

"Never had a woman doctor?" Stark asked, rhetorically, about twenty minutes later as he and Stephen helped Peter walk painfully to the lounge.

Each man had one of his arms over their shoulder, supporting him, but since the spell that had had him pinned to the wall as he'd been buffeted with the magical attacks going on around him in the basement had forced his arms up into an odd angle, his shoulders were fairly sore, too, and it wasn't that comfortable for him.

But he'd been desperate to leave the medical room and that was the fastest way to go, since Strange didn't want to move them magically in order to get Peter some time on his feet.

"No."

Peter was now wearing sweats and a sweatshirt, with the Cloak of Levitation hovering behind him as they went through the corridors. Much to Peter's relief, Strange had produced them moments after Dr. Adams had left to move over to Natasha's bed with a small army of doctors, PAs and nurses, and he and Tony had been quick to get the boy out of the room.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Just don't tell Pepper or Natasha, okay? Please?"

He didn't have a lot of male ego, but what little he had had definitely been bruised, and it was still early in the day.

"It's a pretty good story…" Strange pointed out, winking over Peter's head at Stark, who had to smile, too.

The cloak slapped both men on the head, simultaneously, clearly chiding them for teasing the boy, and then caressed Peter's ear, cheerfully, making him smile despite his embarrassment.

" _Peter!"_

Clint and Steve were both in the lounge when they arrived at the entrance, and both were clearly glad to see him on his feet – more or less. Barton pulled a chair out for the boy and smiled as Stark and Stephen settled Peter into it, the cloak coming to rest on his shoulders.

"Hey, Clint."

"How do you feel?"

"Okay. A bit sore."

"Yeah. You guys took a hell of a beating."

"You should see Natasha's car," Rogers said, shaking his head. "Sounds like you did a good job holding your own, though."

"But we lost," Peter pointed out.

"Yeah, you did. Against two full magicians. If you'd been fighting a team of military specialists or something a bit less fantastic, the results would have been a lot different."

"As first fire fight goes, you guys held your own," Barton agreed, clearly pleased.

"Breakfast?" Stark asked Peter, well aware that the others had already eaten.

"Yes, please."

"Preference? And if you say _French toast_ I will send you right back to Doctor Adams for a full examination."

"Pancakes."

"We heard your cloak buddy really came through," Clint said, looking at the relic draped over Peter's shoulders.

"Yeah. It was amazing."

"What happened on the _road_ , though?" Steve asked. "Natasha hasn't been awake to tell us, and I'm curious what did all the damage to her car…"

"Hold that thought for a minute," Stark said, going to the bar to get Peter's breakfast ordered, and to get a pot of coffee for the adults.

He hadn't heard the official story, either, and was interested, but it probably wasn't something that the boy would want to go over again and again. If Peter told them his view, they'd get Natasha's version when she was lucid enough to give it to them, and then they'd have enough to make an official report. Especially with the photos of the car.


	79. Chapter 79

By the time the pancakes were gone and the second pot of coffee had been finished, the men sitting at the table with Peter had a pretty fair idea of what had happened on the highway heading back to the compound. It wasn't _complete_ , of course. Peter had taken several painful blows and had been reeling from pain, shock and fear, but it was a measure of just how much he was learning from Romanoff that he was able to describe most of what had happened in the road.

"Natasha was amazing," he told them, feeling wiped out now that he was fed and had been out of bed for longer than he probably should, but wanting to make sure to give the credit where it was due. "She tried to get us out of there with the car, but they hit us, obviously. Then she had her knives – and then when one gun didn't work she tried a different one… she never stopped."

It was clear to all of them that Peter was downplaying his own role in things, but none of them were surprised. While he was telling them what had happened, he made it sound as if he thought he almost certainly was just in Romanoff's way while she was trying to deal with the attack.

"You threw force bolts at Jorgan?" Strange asked.

"Who?"

"The blonde."

Peter nodded, but shrugged.

"I didn't. I mean, yeah, it was _me_ , but I didn't do it. Something – probably the Mind stone, but I can't say for sure – took hold and did it. For what good it did."

"If it wasn't _wizards_ you were fighting, it probably would have ended things then and there," Steve pointed out.

"Magic's a lot more convenient when we're the only ones who get to use it," Barton added.

Strange nodded.

"You two took on formidable foes and came out alive. I'm impressed."

They talked about the battle in the basement as well, but Peter didn't have a lot to add to that conversation. He mentioned the way that he couldn't get his hand to close around the rock so wasn't able to use it, and assured Stark that when the cloak had fried Blondie, he hadn't felt any energy go through him and hadn't taken any harm from it. Aside from that, it was all a painful blur to him.

"With that much concentrated magic in one small space, I'm not surprised," Stephen said. "It's a wonder you're not more fevered than you are."

The men continued discussing it, but Peter simply put his head in his uninjured hand and listened to them until Tony realized that he was well on his way to falling asleep. He watched the boy with a tender gaze as his eyes closed once, and then again, and finally didn't open again, although he was still holding the hand up, so he hadn't given in completely.

"They should be finished with Romanoff," he said, pushing his chair back. "I think we should get him back to his bed."

Peter's eyes opened, and he nodded, but he didn't bother to get up. He was too sore and tired to be willing to even try.

"I'll meet you there," he told them, sleepily.

Rogers smiled at that – and he wasn't the only one.

"I'll carry him, Tony," he offered. "I want to go check on Nat, anyway."

Stark nodded. He didn't mind carrying Peter – in fact, he enjoyed those moments that were almost a father/son type deal. But he didn't want to jolt Peter and more than necessary, and Steve was stronger than he was and could do a smoother job of carrying him.

Besides, he had a feeling that Steve wanted to do it sort of as a kind of thank you to Peter for getting himself between the magicians and Natasha. It was obvious that the boy had been trying to shield her – even though he hadn't quite put it that way in his narrative – and who knew how things might have turned out of he hadn't?

Rogers scooped Peter into his arms, carefully, and the boy simply rested his head on Captain America's shoulder, too tired to resist and tell them he could walk.

"Thanks, Steve," he murmured, almost asleep.

OOOOOOO

Romanoff was awake when they returned Peter to his bed. The bed she was in had the top raised, so she was able to watch as the small group walked into the room. Steve and Tony went toward Peter's bed, and Clint and Strange made a beeline for hers.

"Hey, Nat," Barton said, smiling a greeting as he reached for her hand.

She echoed his smile, and then glanced at Strange for a moment, her welcome for him silent, but just as obvious, and he went to the far side of the bed so he wouldn't block her view of the other side of the room.

"Is he okay?" she asked, watching as Tony pulled Peter's blankets back for Steve to put him into his bed.

The cloak was waiting, impatiently, for them to finish, and when Tony had tucked the blankets around the boy, the magical relic draped itself over Peter, humming contentedly to itself and to the sleeping boy.

"Yeah."

"Did he _sleepwalk_?"

Strange smiled, and now he took her other hand.

"You tell _us_. We found him in your bed this morning."

"No. I guilt-tripped him into joining me. He was worried about hurting me. _Sleepy_ , but not sleepwalking."

"How do you feel, Nat?" Clint asked as Stark and Steve came over to join them.

"Sore."

"Yeah. You _look_ sore, too. And _awful_. And _terrible_. And like you just-"

"I get it," she interrupted, smiling.

"Just _saying_ …"

"What happened?" she asked. "How did you guys get him back?"

Peter's explanation had been disjointed at best. Not that she blamed him. But he'd mentioned that Strange and Ironman had both been in the room he'd tried to describe, so they would be able to fill in the gaps, she was sure.

"It's a long story," Stark told her. "Are you feeling up to it?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's start with you telling us what happened on the highway."

She nodded, and started with the drive out of the city, and the fact that Peter suddenly knew something was wrong and had tried to warn her. Clint sat on the edge of her bed on one side, Strange sat on the other and Stark and Rogers were both willing to stand and listen quietly as she described the events of the attack as well as she could remember, considering the pounding headache she still had.

OOOOOOOO

 _He dreamed of the woman in red._

 _She was entering the room he'd been trapped in, and tossing the magicians aside like rag dolls. Her powers were visible to him and he wondered if that was just something that he'd imagined, or if it actually was the case._

 _He flinched every time she cast a spell; the magic coming from her in waves of tingling energy, like the cloak – only stronger – and a lot like the Mind stone, but not so powerful that it overwhelmed those senses of his beyond what he could handle._

 _When the magicians were gone, she walked over to the wall he was still pinned against, and he decided that she was pretty. Especially when she smiled at him._

 _"Peter Parker…"_

 _Her voice carried a hint of an accent, but Peter couldn't place it. He hesitated, uncertain. She had saved him, yes, but Natasha had long since warned him that he couldn't trust everyone. Even a beautiful woman. Especially a beautiful woman, she had said. And a woman that could get in his head was probably even more dangerous._

 _As if she could follow his thoughts, the woman in red's smile widened, and she nodded._

 _"Natasha is correct," she told him. "Women can be far more dangerous than men, at times. But you have no reason to fear me, Peter. Never."_

 _"Why?"_

 _She smiled._

 _"I would say because any friend of the Avengers is a friend of mine. That isn't always the case, though."_

 _"Oh."_

 _If anything, he was even more confused, and she knew it. She smiled and touched his cheek._

 _"You saved my life, even though I didn't know it was you at the time. I owe you."_

 _"What?"_

 _He'd never seen her before the basement fight. That much he was certain of – and then, she was the one who had saved him._

 _"We'll speak again," she told him. "In person, though."_

 _A moment later, she was gone._

Peter mumbled something in his sleep, and the cloak caressed his cheek, crooning cheerfully at him that everything was fine. The cloak he could trust, he knew, and he slipped back into a dreamless slumber.


	80. Chapter 80

Natasha's version filled in all the gaps – what few there were – from Peter's view of what happened to them on the road. When she was finished, Stark and Strange told her what happened in the basement room – and it was far more detailed than what Peter had told her.

"Wanda was there?"

"Saved his life," Stark confirmed.

"I'm sorry I missed it."

"We are, too," Stephen assured her.

She looked over at the sleeping form in the other bed.

"No lasting harm?"

Stark shook his head.

"He'll be fine. Bruises and a cut cheek, nothing more."

"He'll be out of bed long before _you_ are," Strange added, noticing that the medications they were giving her were starting to take control, and she was looking sleepy.

"We should let you get some rest," Clint said, patting her hand and standing up. He'd noticed it, too.

The others nodded their agreement, and Steve and Clint left the medical room after promising to check on her later. They had work to do, after all, and now that they knew she was all right, they could concentrate on getting it done. Tony went over to check on Peter again. Not because he was worried that the boy was going to roll himself out of the bed or anything, but to give Strange a few moments alone with her.

Yet more proof of personal growth.

Stephen smiled down at her, taking her hand and pressing a kiss against her palm.

"Do you need anything?"

She smiled, but shook her head.

"Not right now, no."

"I'll come by later to check on you, all right?"

"Okay."

He leaned over and kissed her, and she brushed her hand against his jaw when he let it go.

"You know how to reach me," Strange reminded her.

"Thanks."

Another kiss, and she closed her eyes with a sigh, definitely ready to sleep.

Stephen got up, and walked over to where Stark was leaning against the wall, watching Peter sleep. The cloak carefully lifted itself from its position covering Peter and swept over to Strange's collar, as if aware that they were leaving the compound.

"What are you doing today?"

"I'm going to fix Peter's watch. You?"

"Wong and I are going to go remind my fellow magicians that another attack like this from any of them would be a big mistake."

Looking at him, Tony realized that it was easy to forget just how formidable he truly was. Kind of like _Romanoff_ , in a sense. When she was cuddling with Peter, or spending downtime with the others, playing cards, or even at a barbeque, one didn't realize the danger that was lurking just below the surface. Strange was like that, too. But now, after seeing the damage that his fellow magicians had done – not just to Peter, but also to Natasha – and the cold fury in the other man's expression, Tony was glad Strange was on their side.

"Should I be there?" he asked. "Peter's _my_ responsibility, after all. I can give them a guarantee that he's not going to go on a rampage or anything."

Stephen shook his head.

"I'm not going to _guarantee_ them anything, Tony. I'm going to threaten all of them."

"You might want to remind them what the cloak did to the last guy that tried anything," he said, approvingly.

That earned him a smile.

"I _might_. Call me if you need anything. Or if _they_ do."

An instant later, he and the cloak were gone.

OOOOOOOO

A gentle hand on his cheek brought him awake right before the soft voice speaking his name.

"Peter?"

He opened his eyes and saw Pepper sitting next to him, leaning over the bed and watching him, her hand brushing his temple.

"Hey, Pepper."

"Hi, baby."

"You're home?"

"Yeah. I cut my day short to come spend some time with you guys."

He smiled at that.

"That's nice."

"Can you wake up enough to eat something?"

"Yeah."

He'd _rather_ have slept, but he wasn't against the idea of eating something, either.

"You have a _choice_ ," Tony said, causing Peter to turn his head to see that Stark had been standing to the side of the chair that Pepper was sitting in. "You can eat here, or the _lounge_ – or in our quarters, if you'd rather…"

He sat up, wincing at the way it hurt to move in any direction and any amount, and looked over at Natasha's bed.

"She's sleeping, and she's fine," Pepper told him.

"Your quarters," he said. They were a little further away, but he didn't feel like eating with a crowd, and he _did_ want to spend some time with Pepper and Tony. "I might need some help," he added, trying to move without creaking.

Stark moved to put a hand under his arm and help him off the bed.

"Sore?"

"A little, yeah." He turned to Pepper. "How was your day?"

"How nice of you to ask," she said, tossing Tony a look that spoke volumes – but was also far too cheerful to be truly annoyed. "If only _everyone_ asked me that when I get home."

"I _asked_ ," he reminded her. "But you said you wanted to go check on Peter…"

"True."

They gave him a steadying hand as the three walked to the other side of the compound and Pepper told them about the short day she'd had and the meetings that she'd held, but she was well aware that it didn't interest Tony all that much and Peter didn't really know what she did and who she did it with, so it would be somewhat over his head.

"You slept all morning?" she asked as they settled him on a sofa in their quarters, with a pillow to cushion the bruises on his hip and Pepper right beside him to prop him up if he needed it.

"Yeah. I think so. Had a weird dream."

"About what?" Stark asked, handing Pepper a glass of iced tea from the bar and then sitting on the other side of Peter, who shook his head when he was offered something to drink.

" _Who_ ," Peter told him. "Not what."

"Who, then?"

"The red woman. From the room."

"Wanda?"

He shrugged, and leaned his cheek against the cool leather of the sofa, which made Pepper smile and reach her hand out to touch his forehead, checking for fever. He was still warm, even without the cloak there to add to his fever with its constant presence, but all of the doctors had assured her and Tony that he was going to be fine.

"Is that her name?"

"Yeah."

Tony gave Peter a brief history of Wanda Maximoff and her twin brother, but didn't go into too much detail, since he wanted to know what she was doing in the boy's mind. None of what he told him was new to Pepper, so she listened but didn't add anything to the conversation.

"I'm not sure the dream was actually _about_ her," Peter admitted. "But she was in it. Tossing those guys aside like nothing and then coming over to talk to me…"

He was surprised that he remembered the dream, really. It didn't always seem to work out that way.

"What did she say?" Pepper asked, curiously.

"She said that women can be just as dangerous as men, but that I didn't have to be afraid of her and that she owed me. Something about me saving her life."

"When did you do that?" Stark asked, frowning.

He shook his head.

"I've never seen her before," he reminded him.

"That's weird."

"Yeah. That's what I said. Weird dream."

"She didn't say anything else?" Tony asked.

"No. Just that we'd meet again – in person."

"If you have any more dreams like that, make sure you let me know, okay?"

"Yeah."

He knew that Tony would want to know about it – which was why he'd brought it up.

"Let's eat something. Then we can find something to do that won't make you move any more than necessary, but will still be entertaining."

"Video games?"

"No." Stark shook his head and tossed an amused look over at the woman sitting on the other side of Peter. "We'll have to _ease_ Pepper into the magical world of video games, slowly. Otherwise her head might pop off."

She had a teenager, now, though. She was probably going to end up learning far more about them than she really cared to know.


	81. Chapter 81

Peter was not hard to please when it came to meals. He liked sandwiches, and pretty much anything with pasta, and Tony and Pepper both knew it. Lunch was sandwiches and fries, eaten while they played cards. Peter was, for some reason, terrible at pretty much any card game that was thrown at him. Being the inquisitive experimenter that he was, it was inevitable that Tony continually introduced the boy to various card games just to see if there were any (besides Spoons) that he was _good_ at – and if so, why was it different from all the other games.

So far they had yet to find one that he excelled at.

Peter knew what he was doing, of course. Far from being annoyed or offended – or even hurt – he let Tony experiment on him. Truth be told, he was curious, also. Besides, he figured that maybe some day if he was really hard up for a research paper, he could write out the findings of years of playing cards and how bad he was at it.

The game of choice for the day wasn't a new one to any of them. They played rummy. It wasn't the most exciting way to spend the afternoon, but Peter had plenty of excitement in his life. He was more than willing to enjoy a relaxing afternoon with just a couple of people who loved him and wanted to spend time with him, doing nothing more interesting than trying not to lose too many hands and avoid complete card game shaming.

Even relaxing, though, he didn't last too long. The injuries were too fresh, the healing of those injuries were taking much of his energy, despite his stamina and youth. When he started nodding off, Tony called the card game and suggested that he take a nap on the sofa rather than go back to the medlab.

Peter shook his head, gathering up the cards.

"I want to check on Natasha," he told Stark. "Make sure she had lunch, and that she's not too lonely."

He well knew how dull it could be to be stuck in bed, waiting for company to come to your door.

"I'm going to work on your watch tonight or tomorrow," Stark told him as they walked him back to his temporary bed. "We'll have it back where it belongs by the time the bandages come off."

"Okay."

The sooner the better, as far as Tony and Pepper were concerned. Injured as he was, Peter would probably wake himself up if he tried sleepwalking any time soon, but they'd come to rely on that GPS tracking in the watch to keep tabs on the boy, and now wasn't the time to let up.

Natasha was asleep when they arrived at the shared room, and the table that rolled up to the bed had the remains of what had been a fair lunch, so Peter knew that she'd eaten, anyway. He double checked that she was sleeping soundly, and then allowed himself to be put to bed.

"We'll bring dinner here, okay?" Pepper said, watching as he pulled his blankets up and resisting the urge to tuck him in. "Save you the trip."

"Thanks," he told her, meaning it.

He ached, even though he was trying to hide it.

"Do you need anything?" Tony asked.

"If you brought me some homework I could work on it later if I get bored."

Stark frowned at that, but understood the request.

"Do you have any books that need read?"

"Yeah."

"I'll bring one of those by for you."

"Thanks."

'Watch out, though," Tony told him, brushing a hand against his forehead to see if he'd lost any of the fever that had been plaguing him. He was still pretty warm. "I think I saw _Dr. Adams_ lurking in the area…"

Peter blushed, which made Tony grin, and Pepper frown, well aware that she was missing something.

Instead of asking, though, she gave in to the urge, leaned over and kissed Peter's forehead.

"Call if you need anything."

"Okay."

Of course, he didn't have his watch, so he couldn't, but that was okay. He didn't imagine that he was going to need anything between then and dinner, anyway. He closed his eyes as they walked out of the room, and was asleep not long after.

OOOOOOOOO

"Are you _kidding_ me?"

"What?"

"When did _Stephen King_ become required reading?"

Pepper took the book that Tony was holding up. A very thick book, and not one that she'd read.

 _"The Stand?"_

"Ever read it?"

She shook her head.

"No. I'm not big into horror."

Stark shrugged.

"Well, it'll keep him occupied for a few days, at least."

It was a pretty thick book.

They took the book, and also a hand held video game system that Pepper had picked up for him that morning and then stopped in the lounge for a meal for four – just in case Natasha was awake, as well. Then they headed for the medlab.

OOOOOOOO

Romanoff was awake but Peter was sleeping. She smiled a greeting to them when they walked in, and Tony set the tray down on the rolling table by Peter's bed and walked over to see her, leaving Pepper the task of waking Peter for dinner.

"Good evening," he said, glancing at the monitor that was keeping tabs on her vital statistics.

Not that he knew what was within the normal parameters, but nothing was beeping urgently or demanding attention so he had to assume all was well with her.

"Hi."

He sat down on the edge of her bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"Stiff and sore," she admitted, sitting up a little and wincing. "Peter?"

"He was up for a little while this afternoon. But then he wanted to come back and check on you."

Natasha smiled at that.

"Are _all_ teenaged boys like that? I was under the impression they're little beasts, but I have to admit, Peter and Ned are really sweet. I've never had a lot of interaction with teens, but still…"

"No. At least, _I_ wasn't as nice as he is – or as nice as Ned, for that matter. But I didn't hang out with the real troublemakers, either. I was too much of an egghead for them."

"We must have just gotten lucky."

"Could you imagine some douchebag kid getting the powers that Peter has?" Stark asked, shaking his head.

"You mean like _Loki_ , for example?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Stark shrugged.

"Point taken."

He looked over as Pepper rolled the table over to Natasha's bed, followed by Peter, who looked sleepy and sore, but smiled a greeting to Natasha and settled himself gingerly on the edge of her bed.

"Hope you guys are hungry," Pepper told them.

"Where's Stephen?" Natasha asked, curiously, while Stark and Pepper dished up their meals and handed out plates.

"He went to bully the other wizards," Peter answered, taking a bite of a breadstick.

Tony frowned. That hadn't come up in their conversation that afternoon while playing cards, and Stark knew Peter hadn't heard them discussing it directly.

"How do you know that?"

"Dreamed about it," he answered. "He and Wong were meeting with six other people – I don't know any of them – about what happened in London."

"Oh?"

"Is that where we were?" Peter asked.

"Yeah." Stark looked at Natasha and Pepper. "What else do you remember from your dream?"

"The other wizards were trying to decide who was going to guard that sanctum, now, and were saying that they couldn't believe what had happened – and were angry, and surprised. Dr. Strange told them if it happened again, there wouldn't be enough magicians left standing to guard the other sanctums."

"Did the _Mind stone_ show you that?" Pepper asked.

Peter shrugged.

"Probably. It usually shows me things like that when I'm sleeping. Unless I'm doing homework and then it just sends pictures or pops a number into my head."

"Which is why we never play Trivial Pursuit with him, anymore," Tony told them, causing Peter to smile, wryly.

"Was Stephen alright?" Natasha asked.

Peter nodded.

"They're not going to do anything, Natasha. None of them would have done what the first two did, anyway, and they talked about it after Wong and Dr. Strange left – while they were choosing which ones were going to go to London. They're not crazy – and this one woman is afraid of the cloak. None of them knew it could kill someone."

"So the Mind stone will keep track of Strange for you, too?" Stark asked, not really surprised, now that he thought about it. If it would watch the Avengers for Peter, why not watch the doctor, as well? Everyone knew Peter liked him – and he was pretty much an Avenger – even if he'd never admit it, and neither would Tony.

"I guess. Not that he needs it to," Peter said, reaching for a second helping of dinner, proving there was nothing wrong with his appetite. "Doctor Strange is a bad ass."

"Don't let _Steve_ hear you say that," Natasha warned, smiling.

Peter blushed, not realizing what he'd said – which was a measure of just how comfortable he was with the people he was with.

"Sorry."


	82. Chapter 82

A tingle of magic drew Peter slightly from a half doze. He didn't move or open his eyes, though, well aware that if it was something that posed a danger to him, his spider senses would have warned him. When he felt the weight of the Cloak of Levitation suddenly draped over him and the contented, cheerful crooning in his mind then he knew he didn't need to worry. He sighed, almost inaudibly, and was almost back to sleep when a deep voice somewhere above him spoke softly at the same time that he felt a hand settle lightly on his shoulder.

"You're in my spot, kid…"

A decidedly female chuckle made him smile, and he rolled away from Natasha's side just enough to look up at Dr. Strange, who was looking down at both of them with a slightly amused look in his eyes.

Peter had started in his own bed the night before, falling asleep while reading the book that Tony and Pepper had brought him. Sometime in the early hours of the morning, alerted by her own sort of spider senses – or whatever it was that her inner warnings were called – Natasha had woken to find him once more in the chair beside her bed. He was sleeping awkwardly, leaned over, his cheek against the blankets right beside her hip and his bandaged hand just barely touching her side.

Clearly he had been sleepwalking, but even asleep he was obviously unwilling to hurt her by climbing into her bed with her.

She'd gently woken him, and cajoled him into joining her under her blankets, much preferring to have him right beside her where she could keep him in one place, rather than wandering the compound injured and not wearing his GPS locator. He'd settled willingly, but was still careful not to cuddle so closely that he might cause any discomfort.

They'd both gone back to sleep almost immediately.

Until now.

"She _likes_ me here…"

Romanoff smiled up at Strange, and shrugged the truth of that, while Peter rolled back against her side, closing his eyes although the impudent smile on his face told them both that he wasn't going to go right back to sleep.

Strange rolled his eyes. Couldn't argue with that.

"I'd hate to have to _move_ you…"

Peter didn't even open his eyes.

"Natasha wouldn't let you. She _loves_ me."

" _I_ do, too, but that wouldn't stop me from claiming my spot."

Now he opened his eyes, again.

"You _do_?"

"Yes. But don't let it go to your head. I love a _lot_ of people. You're not even the only one in this _room_ that I care about."

He knew there was absolutely no truth in the first part of that statement, and that the second part was unequivocally correct. Strange wasn't someone who opened himself up to others, so he didn't love many – or allow them to love him. But _he_ did care about Natasha, Peter knew. He just hadn't known that _he_ was in that small group, as well.

It was a fine to hear first thing in the morning. Almost enough to make him give up his spot.

"I could be talked into moving…"

Strange's hand moved from Peter's shoulder and covered the boy's eyes so that he could lean over and kiss Natasha, who brought her hand up to his cheek as he did. It had been intended to be a simple good morning and I missed you kiss, but it deepened into something a bit more than that, and the doctor only broke away when Peter cleared his throat, pointedly.

"You guys better just be _kissing_ …"

Romanoff's smile echoed Strange's and he kissed her softly once more before releasing Peter's eyes and ruffling the boy's hair, affectionately, and seated himself on the edge of her bed, shifting the boy just enough to give himself room.

"You met with the other magicians?" Natasha asked.

She knew what Peter had told them the evening before, but she wanted to be sure. Super spies didn't live long if they didn't double check and triple check everything around them when they needed to do so.

"Yes. They're deciding who will take over the London sanctum and have assured Wong and me that we won't be having a repeat of what happened to you two."

"And you _believe_ them?"

"Yes. They're not necessarily _cowed_ , but they were definitely shocked by what they were told happened, and a couple were angry. Which is not a bad thing, really. The sanctums are autonomous for the most part, but when someone does something like this, it can cause ripples across more than one dimension and that means problems for everyone."

"As long as Peter isn't a target because of what happened."

"No. He's off limits and they all know it, now."

"That's good."

"Good enough to get my spot back?"

OOOOOOOO

When Pepper and Tony came into the medlab an hour or so later, they were surprised to find that Stephen Strange had arrived at the compound already, and was sitting easily on Natasha's bed beside her, sharing a meal and looking refreshed despite the early hour. Peter was sitting on the edge of his own bed, legs dangling over the side and talking to Dr. Adams, who had managed to convince the boy to take his shirt off to allow her to check the bruises on his torso and shoulders. The cloak was on the boy's bed, obviously waiting for the doctor to finish what she was doing so it could have its rightful spot back.

Leaving Strange and Natasha to their amusements for the moment, Pepper and Tony both went over to Peter's bed.

"Morning," Stark said, smiling at Peter and running his hand against the boy's forehead. He was still fevered, but he didn't seem as hot as he had been the day before. "How's he's doing?"

"The bruising is already starting to splotch,'' Adams said. "We'll _assume_ that his leg and hip are doing equally well – although he'll tell me if that changes. Right?"

Peter nodded.

"Yes."

"Are you still sore?" Pepper asked.

"A little."

"He was practically _creaking_ when he moved over to his bed when I got here," Strange pointed out, proving that he was listening in – _and_ had been paying attention to what the doctor had been talking to Peter about.

"I just woke up, though," the boy pointed out. "I'm not as sore, now."

"Feeling up to getting up and coming to eat with us in the lounge?" Pepper asked.

Peter looked over at Strange and Natasha, and then nodded. Tony knew that he was making sure that Romanoff wasn't going to be alone and from the looks of it, Strange wasn't in any hurry to get up. Which was completely understandable.

"Yeah."

Stark walked over to Natasha's bed while Peter finished up with the doctor.

"How do _you_ feel today?" he asked her.

"A bit sore, but better."

"Need anything?"

She shook her head, and gestured to the man sitting beside her.

"I'm good."

Meaning that if she _did_ need anything, she only needed to say something, and it would be there with a thought.

He looked at Strange.

"Everything good?"

He wasn't talking about Natasha, and Stephen knew it. He nodded.

"Yes. Problem solved."

"Good to hear." He looked at Romanoff, again. "I'm going to borrow Peter this morning to work on getting his watch back up and running, but if you need anything and Stephen isn't here, call, okay?"

"Thanks."


	83. Chapter 83

Despite the fact that walking wasn't easy – mainly because of a particularly nasty bruise on his hip – Peter told Pepper and Tony that he'd meet them in the lounge. He didn't want to go to breakfast wearing the same clothes he'd slept in. Especially since both of them were dressed nicely – Pepper especially – and ready for their day. They nodded and asked what he wanted for breakfast so they could order for him, but Stark hesitated before sending him off on his own.

"You're alright?"

Which Peter assumed correctly meant did he need someone to steady him on the walk to his quarters.

"Yeah, I just want to change. Thanks."

"And if you fall and can't get up or something?"

Peter smiled, and held up the wrist that had the silver bracelet, silently reminding Tony – and Pepper – that he had a web shooter available. He wasn't going to fall and not get up.

"I'll be fine."

They parted ways and he went and not only changed but took a quick shower, checking the bruises on his hip and leg like he'd promised Dr. Adams that he would. They were purple and black, but nothing too bad – and probably not as bad as the ones Loki had left on him from throwing trees at him. Just a little sore.

He glanced at the stack of homework that was on his coffee table, but wasn't stressing about doing any of it. He had plenty of time the next few days to get as much done as he could. He wasn't going to be allowed to do any sparring with the aches and pains that he had, and figured no one would make him do anything else very active, for the same reason.

Until he felt better, he'd be a homework doing machine, he supposed.

OOOOOOOO

They were at the corner table when he walked into the lounge, and both smiled when they saw him. Which made him feel good. He sat down, and Pepper was the one who reached for his forehead this time.

"Feeling okay?"

"Yeah. Just sore. Not even that warm, really."

"Don't do too much today, all right?" She looked over at Stark, who nodded.

"We'll keep him in check," Tony assured her.

Breakfast arrived only moments later, and Peter watched them eat and discuss their upcoming day – mostly Pepper telling Tony what she had planned as far as meetings and projects. Tony's projects weren't exactly the same kind of thing, but he did mention to her that he was planning on working on Peter's watch that morning to fix the band and double check that nothing had damaged the technology that activated the web shooter, or the GPS.

"Not hungry?" Pepper asked, noticing that Peter wasn't eating.

He shrugged.

"Yeah, I am. I was just wondering if you guys always eat breakfast together…"

It was such a family thing, but he realized that he really didn't know that much about them as far as what their daily routines were. He knew that Pepper went to the tower mostly, and Tony worked on whatever project that he had going at the time, but he didn't know if they did that at the tower, too, or if it was just because of being at the compound. It made him realize that he had a lot to learn about these two people who were suddenly two of the most important in his life.

Pepper seemed to understand what he was asking – and probably even _why_ , to judge by the way that her expression softened.

"We _try_ to," she replied. "It's a good way to connect, and for me to know what Tony's up to, since he doesn't always adhere to a regular schedule. Besides, I often work late, so it's usually the only meal that I can eat with him."

"Which is going to change," Stark said, looking at Pepper, first, and then at Peter. "We're going to try and eat breakfast and dinner _both_ together. That way we can connect with _you_ , too, and see how your day has gone, and if you need anything, or we're missing anything."

She nodded. They had already discussed her crazy schedule being changed up a bit.

"Which will be good for me," Pepper told him, to make sure he understood it wasn't an imposition for them to change their schedules. "It'll keep me from burning out – and maybe we'll even take a family vacation or something."

"Which never happens," Tony added. "It'll be fun."

"When we move you into the tower, it'll be a little easier to maintain the schedule since that's where I work from. Breakfast will fit around your school schedule – if you take a bus or if one of us drives you, for example. But we'll try to make as normal a schedule as possible – and stick with it when we can."

"It's one of those learning things we discussed before," Stark told him, sincerely. "You'll learn what _we_ do, we'll adapt that to whatever works best for _you_. Make a family out of it, right?"

"We _want_ you to be a part of our schedule," Pepper told him, reaching for his hand. "A part of the _family_. Not just someone on the edges of it looking in. Understand?"

He nodded, mutely, unable to say anything around the lump in his throat.

Luckily, both of them understood, and gave him the time that he needed to let that sink in, and to gather himself so he didn't start crying.

"Do you guys ever _cook_?"

"Not very often," Tony said.

Of course, Peter had watched him try to cook in the sanctum once, and it had been a disaster.

"Do _you_ like to cook?" Pepper asked.

"I'm not good at it, but we'd experiment, sometimes…" he felt the sting of tears, but smiled at the good memories that came with the words. "If it went wrong, it was eating out, or ordering in."

"Maybe we'll try more often," she told him, reaching out and touching his cheek, tenderly. "I happen to be good at the easy stuff, anyway."

"Okay."

"You _do_ have an assignment today, though," Tony said after a few moments. "I want you to call Ned after he gets out of school today and see what he'd think about going somewhere for a birthday weekend. Disneyland isn't the only option, remember. Someplace exotic, and warm – or we could try skiing, or something."

"And let us _know_ ," Pepper added. "We can invite MJ and anyone else that you want, but I'm sure that will require a conversation with their parents. So we'll need time to do that."

"Okay."

"We're not going to make a fuss on the _17_ _th_ birthday," Stark told him. "You'll be lucky if we even _remember_ it. So you definitely need to give us the chance to go all out for this one."

"Montana?"

The idea was growing on him, really. He'd see if Ned could think of someplace.

"Not my idea of _exotic_ ," Tony said, shaking his head. "But if you guys have your hearts set on it, we could probably go there."

"Greece?" Pepper suggested. "It's sunny and the water is beautiful."

"So far away?"

"By jet it's no further than Montana."

"We can take the jet?"

"Why not?"

Peter shook his head, and then shrugged.

"I'll ask Ned for ideas."

"Good." Tony looked pleased, and Peter figured it was because they'd managed to talk him into more than a cake and a magician. "Eat your breakfast, young man. We've got things to accomplish today."

"And _homework_ to work on," Pepper reminded them both. "We're trying to get you on a schedule, remember."

"Yeah. I will."

That was what he'd do either right before lunch, or right after. Depending on how long Tony wanted to work on his watch.

"Good." They finished eating and Pepper gathered up what items she'd need for her day, and handed them to Tony to carry.

"Walk me to the garage?"

"Of course."

Peter smiled when she reached for _his_ arm, too, pointedly letting him know that she wanted his company, as well.

It was a good feeling, and even though he ached, his step was light because of it.


	84. Chapter 84

_A/N So on top of the ankle, I now have a head cold that is throwing me for a loop and making me sleep, of all things. It is no fun to be me right now. Posting will slow as I try to breathe, sorry!_

OOOOOOO

They worked on the watch after they saw Pepper off to the tower with Happy behind the wheel driving her. Technically, _Stark_ worked on the watch. Peter sat on a stool in his workroom and watched, impressed as always by just how smart the guy was. He made sure to include Peter in his narrative of what he was doing as he went through each part of the broken communicator, describing not only what was _wrong_ with it, but probably what had caused it to break in the first place.

The only part that hadn't been damaged – either by being torn off Peter's wrist, or taking a couple of hits from force bolts during the attack itself – was the mechanism that released the web shooter. The rest was a mess. Stark finally decided a simple fix wasn't going to do the job, and told Peter that he'd probably end up gutting the thing and rebuilding it from the inside out.

Which meant that Peter was going to be without his watch for probably another day. The boy didn't mind; he didn't need to use the timepiece and he wasn't going web swinging any time soon, but Stark didn't like him not having the tracker on – even when they were just keeping him around the compound.

Peter asked him why he didn't just make a new one instead, and Stark was in the middle of a complicated explanation about the different ways that it would have to be recalibrated and that it would be more trouble than rebuilding the existing one when the cloak that had been draped over Peter's right shoulder suddenly perked up, warning them both just as Dr. Strange walked into the workroom.

"You bored her and she fell asleep?" Tony asked.

Peter smiled at that.

Strange did, too, but he shook his head.

"They're changing bandages and giving her a checkup, so they kicked me out."

"But you're a _doctor_ ," Peter pointed out, surprised.

"But I'm not _her_ doctor," Strange told him, walking over and pulling out a stool to sit on, as well. "There's a difference."

"But you were there when Dr. Adams was doing mine."

"Because as far as I'm concerned, I am _your_ doctor. And they know it. We have the history, after all. As far as they know with Natasha and myself, I'm just the boyfriend."

"And the boyfriend gets kicked out of the exam room," Stark said.

"Yes." Strange reached over and picked up the watch, which was missing all of the insides. "This does _not_ look like it's repaired."

"It's a process," Tony admitted.

"Are you almost done?"

"Almost done with it for the day, but nowhere near finished. It took a beating."

"Too bad you can't just fix it with magic," Peter said.

"One of the limitations we have, unfortunately," Strange told him, setting the watch back down. He looked at Peter, and reached out to brush a hand along his forehead. "How do you feel?"

"Not too bad."

"Your fever's down," he noted.

"Yeah. Now I'm just sore and a bit stiff."

"That'll pass in a few days, I imagine."

"How long will Romanoff need to be in bed?" Stark asked.

He'd talked to the doctors, of course, but wanted Stephen's take on her recovery. Even though broken ribs weren't necessarily the man's specialty.

"Another week in bed. Very limited activity for another two, after that. She'll probably get restless long before she's ready to be up and about, but ribs hurt, so they're going to be the best deterrent to her doing things that she shouldn't be."

"She won't like that," Peter said.

"No."

"She can be moved to her rooms, though?" Peter asked. "The other room isn't much fun…"

The boy would know better than anyone, of course, since he'd been stuck in one just like it all alone while he'd recovered from the first illness Strange had seen him through.

"I don't see why not," Stephen said. " _You're_ healthy enough not to need to be there, now, and if she was going to develop an infection from the surgery, it would be presenting by now. I'll suggest it to her doctors. She'd probably sleep better in her own bed."

"Are you sticking around, then?" Stark asked.

"I'm going to go to the sanctum and check on a few things with Wong, but I'll be back around lunchtime – if nothing else, you can buy me a cup of coffee."

Tony smiled at that and nodded, assuming the other man would probably want to drink it with Romanoff. Which was fine. Whatever kept her in bed and getting better. If it wasn't Strange, he'd have sicced Peter on her and have him keep her company.

And he still _might_.

"We're done here," he said to both of them as the cloak transferred over to Strange in anticipation of them leaving. "Why don't _you_ go work on some homework, Peter? Then when Stephen comes back, we can find something a little more entertaining for us to do this afternoon and we can still prove to Pepper that _you_ , at least, got something accomplished today."

The boy nodded, and left, pushing his stool back under the workbench.

"What are _you_ going to do?" Strange asked.

"I'm going to do a little researching."

"Oh?"

"Peter doesn't want a birthday party."

"Yes, I know."

"So Pepper and I have almost convinced him to have a birthday _trip_. A weekend someplace."

"Family vacation?" Strange asked, approvingly.

"With the _extended_ family," Stark told him. "We'll invite a few of his friends from school, you and Natasha – who should be feeling a little better by then and will deserve a vacation. Steve, Clint and Bruce if they want to come, of course."

Strange's expression told Stark that he didn't think it was a terrible idea.

"Someplace _warm_?"

Tony shrugged.

"That's what the _research_ is for. Peter is going to ask Ned for suggestions, and so far all I've heard from him is _Montana_. I'm thinking buffalo aren't as interesting as warm beaches and ocean breezes."

"A trip to Yellowstone might be an adventure for a boy who has only been camping once in his life."

"Do you know how many _bears_ there are in Yellowstone?"

Strange rolled his eyes, amused.

"I'm pretty sure the entire bear population isn't out to get him."

"I'd rather not risk it. Besides, it's already _snowing_ , there."

It was the doctor's turn to shrug.

"When you figure it out, let me know. I'd go with you guys."

"Good. Wong can come, too."

"I'll extend the invitation."

Strange left, then, and Stark looked at the watch on his worktable for another moment, and then picked it up. It drove him crazy when he couldn't make something work out the way that he wanted it to – and the broken watch was going to drive him to distraction until he fixed it. Besides, he wanted it back on Peter's wrist as soon as possible.

OOOOOOOOO

Peter wasn't in a hurry to read _The Stand_ just then. He supposed that he could understand why his teacher had assigned it; as near as he could tell it was filled with good versus evil, right versus wrong, and all kinds of themes about man doing things that they probably shouldn't – and the consequences of those things. But there was a _lot_ of death, and that wasn't something he was in the mood to read about after experiencing it himself – both with _May_ , which made a pang of sorrow go through his entire being, and more recently with the London magicians.

Instead, he sat on his floor against the sofa and started in on the History assignments that weren't too tricky and were mostly just looking on the web if he wasn't sure of a particular date or a participant. Even better, the answers started popping into his mind, saving him the need to look for them.

Clearly the Mind stone was willing to help out for a while, and while Peter wasn't stressing about getting the homework done, he wasn't going turn down anything that made it get done faster.

He was surprised, though, about an hour later when he was trying to figure out the succession of Middle Eastern conflicts and suddenly the red woman's image flashed into his mind, instead.

OOOOOOOO

Stark was tinkering with Peter's watch – _still_ – when he heard his own watch chime an alert to him. He frowned at the interruption, and then even more when he realized who it was.

"Vision?"

" _Wanda wants to talk to Peter."_

Tony hesitated, but really, it didn't matter if he said no. She was powerful enough to talk to Peter even if he said no, and he really didn't have any reason to. She'd proven herself to him more than once by then, and he knew she wouldn't hurt the boy.

"When?"

" _When he's finished with his homework."_

Stark didn't even need to ask how Vision knew Peter was doing homework. Not with the Mind stone in his forehead.

"Tell her to come for lunch." He looked at the time. "Half an hour?"

" _She'll be there."_

The communication went silent, and Tony set Peter's watch down and left the workroom to go get talk to Peter.


	85. Chapter 85

"I don't understand," Peter said, looking as confused as he sounded. "Why does she want to talk to me?"

Stark shrugged.

"Vision didn't say. I just didn't want you to be startled when we have company for lunch."

"Okay."

"You don't _have_ to talk to her, you know. She can get in your head, kind of like the Mind stone does, I imagine, but just because she _can_ , it doesn't mean that she would. If you'd rather not meet her, I can-"

"No. It's okay," Peter interrupted. "I mean, I've _already_ talked to her – in my dream. She isn't scary or anything."

Kind of _pretty_ , really, and in his dream she hadn't set off his spider senses or anything, which made him think that she had probably meant it when she'd told him he didn't need to be afraid of her.

"Well, then, are you done for now?"

Peter looked at his homework and nodded.

"Yeah."

Tony reached down to give him a hand up, which he appreciated although he probably didn't need it, and they headed for the lounge.

OOOOOOOO

Peter and Tony were in their usual table in the corner of the lounge, playing chess to while the time away before Maximoff was supposed to arrive. Stark was losing, but playing Peter so often was actually making him a better player; more cautious and better at thinking through the moves before making them, and he wasn't losing every game like he used to when they played.

Peter suddenly felt a tingle that he recognized as magic being used in the area. It didn't feel like Dr. Strange felt to him, but it was the same kind of power. He looked toward the entrance to the lounge, and Tony followed his gaze. A moment later, Wanda Maximoff walked into the room, looking around for the briefest of moments before turning toward the table in the corner.

Stark stood up. Peter hadn't learned that particular gesture, but he did sit up a little more, and gave her an awkward smile when Tony introduced them. She reached her hand out to him, her expression unreadable.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Peter."

He felt that familiar pang of loss that he always felt when thinking of May, but tried to hide the hurt.

"Thank you."

She looked at Stark.

"You're in good hands, though. She chose well."

Peter nodded his agreement, not even asking how she knew what she knew.

"Yeah. I think so, too."

Stark appreciated the compliment – especially considering the past history he had with Wanda – but he hid that as well as he could.

"What's going on, Wanda? Everything all right?"

She nodded.

"I wanted to meet him," she told him. "And I wanted to thank him for what he did – and to see if there was anything I could do to help him."

"What did I do?" Peter asked, curiously.

She'd mentioned before that he'd saved her, but he honestly didn't remember doing anything that was so spectacular.

Maximoff smiled, her expression tender.

"You don't remember."

"Remember what?"

She held her hand up toward him, but not touching him. Peter didn't move, well aware that his spider senses would have told him immediately if the gesture was intended as a threat of any kind.

"Can I show you?" She asked.

He looked at Stark, who _did_ look concerned at the gesture – although Peter didn't know why. He nodded, though, curious enough to allow her do pretty much do anything.

"Yeah."

She closed her eyes and Peter did the same when a vision suddenly appeared in his mind – similar, but not exactly the same – as when the Mind stone sent him images and fragments of memories. Closing his eyes helped separate the present from the past, and made the image he was seeing less confusing.

He saw the basement. Saw Dr. Strange and Tony both bolting through a portal. Felt himself falling to the floor as the spell that was holding him pinned to the wall suddenly faltered. Magic flying everywhere, but the dark skinned magician gesturing the same way Strange did when he was creating a portal. Another force bolt flying at Maximoff, and hitting her shield, knocking her off balance just as the portal opened, threatening to engulf her.

Now Peter _did_ remember the scene. He'd reacted pretty much automatically; his hand snapping out her direction, triggering the web shooter in the silver bracelet that he wore. The webbing had hit her in the chest and he'd jerked his hand back to pull her from the brink of the portal, and into the blonde magician who had tumbled against Peter, knocking him flat once more and knocking him out, finally.

The blonde had then gotten too close to the Cloak of Levitation and had died immediately after. Peter _hadn't_ seen that, but had been brought to a very short time after, to be confronted by Tony and Strange. He'd felt a great welling of pain and grief, because at the time, he was sure that Natasha was dead.

The scene stopped, abruptly, as Maximoff cut the vision and that terrible feeling of knowing how it felt to know that Natasha was dead.

"She's not dead, Peter," Wanda reminded the boy. "You saved _her_ on the highway, and you saved me in the battle. _Thank you_."

"You saved me, first," he pointed out, shaking his head to clear the vision. "We're even."

"You would have been fine. Tony and Dr. Strange weren't far behind. What can I do for you? To repay you?"

Peter looked over at Tony, bewildered by the offer. Stark shrugged, though.

"Nothing," Peter told her. "I have everything that I need."

She couldn't bring May back, after all, and that was the only thing he wanted. She almost certainly couldn't make Tony and the others love him more than they already did, and she _probably_ couldn't do his homework for him.

As if she could follow his thoughts, she smiled, amused.

"No. I won't do your homework for you."

Stark smiled at that, wishing that he could have followed the train of thought that Maximoff had – or that Pepper could have heard that particular response.

"I can do it."

"Are you happy?"

Before he could answer, he felt another tingle of magic – this one very familiar, and the Cloak of Levitation was suddenly in the room, surging for the boy and wrapping his head and shoulders and crooning happily into his mind, so cheerful that Peter smiled. She smiled, too, even though she couldn't feel the happiness emanating from the cloak any more than the others could. She could feel how that cheer affected the boy, though.

Strange wasn't far behind the cloak. Stark and Peter both looked toward the door, waiting for him to make his appearance, and whether she looked because they looked that way, or if she somehow knew he was coming, Maximoff look toward the entrance as well. When he saw the group in the corner, Stephen walked over to them, and stopped at the table.

"Ms. Maximoff. A pleasure."

"That you, Dr. Strange."

"Lunch, Stephen?"

"Yes."

He seated himself across from Stark, and looked over at Maximoff, but she spoke before he did.

"You met with the other magicians?"

"Yes."

"And they won't go after Peter again?"

"I'm fairly certain."

"Yes. They're definitely unwilling to deal with the consequences of another set of actions like the first."

"You know that for a fact, Wanda?" Stark asked.

"Yes. They can't hide their fear."

"If that's what keeps them from making a move against Peter – or one of the others – they can be as afraid as they want."

She nodded, and turned back to Peter, her eyes seeming to look into his very soul.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I know."

She smiled, having pulled the answer from him without intending to do so, and then stood up.

"I'm going to pass on lunch, Tony. Thank you, though."

"You sure? It's chili dogs."

Maximoff nodded.

"Thanks for letting me meet him."

"You're welcome here any time, Wanda. You know that."

She had to know. She could read his _mind_ , after all.

She leaned over and pressed a kiss against Peter's cheek – the one that wasn't cut – and the boy blushed a brilliant red, which made them all smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Peter."

"Yeah. You, too."

Then she left the lounge, and a moment later, Peter felt a tingle of magic.

"What question?" Strange asked, curiously.

"She wanted to know how to pay me back. She says I saved her life – but I didn't, really. I think she would have been okay."

"That wasn't the question she asked you last," Stark pointed out. "She asked if you were happy."

"Oh, yeah."

"Are you?" Tony asked him.

Peter nodded.

"Sometimes. Some days I wonder what I'm thinking, having a good time when May isn't with me to enjoy it, and then I want to hide under a rock somewhere. Other days, I catch myself doing something that I think would amuse her, and I smile and think of her. Those are good days."

"Which do you have more of?"

"The good days. Thanks to you guys."

Stark wasn't the only one to smile at that.


	86. Chapter 86

"Why don't we take the Pontiac for a drive?" Stark asked Peter when they were finishing lunch.

Peter's interested expression showed them that he was all for the idea.

"Can we?"

"You worked on your homework, right? So why not?"

"Great." Peter looked at Strange. "Want to come?"

Stephen knew the boy was eager to give him a ride in the car that has father had left him, and even if he _hadn't_ wanted to, he would have said yes. It was a good time for an inaugural ride.

"Will it make it to the city?"

Stark nodded.

"Absolutely. We even put new tires on it."

"Then why don't you guys drive me home? Then I can get a _real_ first ride out of it?"

"Sounds like a plan," Tony approved. He looked at Peter. "We can see if _Pepper_ is done working. When we drop Stephen off, we can pick her up and give her a ride back here. If you _want_?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to have a final discussion with Natasha's doctors before I go," Strange said, setting his napkin aside and double checking that he hadn't spilled any chili on his suit. "I'll meet you in the garage?"

"Sounds good." Strange excused himself, and left, and Tony gestured to Peter's plate. "Finish eating, okay? I'll go call Pepper and let her know what we want to do."

"Think she'll be interested?" Peter asked.

"Absolutely. We just finished talking about making her schedule more family friendly, remember? This probably qualifies. Eat and take care of cleaning up, will you? I'll meet you guys in the garage."

"Yeah."

Peter shoved the rest of his chilidog in his mouth as Stark got up and left.

OOOOOOOO

They all converged in the garage at almost the same time, and Strange told Peter that he'd sit in the back, explaining that no one should have to sit in the back of their own car – even if he was the youngest person in the group. Stark got behind the wheel and Peter buckled himself into the front passenger side.

"You'll have to decide if you want to upgrade the stereo," Tony told Peter as Strange got into the car, as well. "An 8 track and cassette player are all well and good, but a five song playlist on crappy media isn't what this beauty deserves."

"You could put an updated stereo in the _glove box_ ," Stephen suggested. "With blue tooth capabilities, you wouldn't have to worry about wiring coming out the front – and it would still _look_ factory."

"That's a good idea," Stark approved, nodding. "Think about it, okay?"

"Yeah. I like that idea."

"We'll pick up the parts we need and a wiring harness sometime this weekend," Stark promised as they pulled out of the garage. "Maybe have Ned come this weekend."

"Or _MJ_ ," Strange suggested, watching for the telltale blush that he knew would follow – which it _did_.

Both men smiled at that, and Peter rolled his eyes, well aware that they were teasing him. It wasn't hurtful, though, and he knew it.

"Was Natasha awake?" he asked, changing the subject after a moment.

"Yes, and all for the idea of a change of location. They'll feed her some lunch and move her over to her own quarters sometime between now and dinner."

"You'll be back at the compound this evening?" Tony asked.

"I'm not sure," Stephen admitted. "I want to do some work in the library this evening, but I'll probably swing by to check on her and keep her company for a while. Right now, we're going to want her to rest as much as possible. One of the reasons for putting her in her own bed. She'll be more comfortable."

"I can help keep her company," Peter pointed out.

"I'm counting on it," Strange admitted. "You, of all people, know how lonely being stuck in bed can be. I'm going to be gone a bit, unfortunately, helping to get the new guardian of the London sanctum settled into her role, so someone has to remind Natasha we haven't forgotten about her."

" _Her_?" Tony echoed. "They decided on a guardian, then?"

"Yes. A few wanted _Wong_ , but he declined."

"Good thing," Peter said.

"Exactly my sentiments," Strange agreed. "He'd be amazing, of course, but I'd miss having him around in his present capacity."

They talked about the sanctums – the New York one, especially – and the various roles of those who are chosen to guard them. Peter and Tony were both interested in the world of the magicians and Strange was willing to share his knowledge with them, since he knew they could be trusted with that information. A far cry from the man that he used to be, as well.

Tony Stark wasn't the only one with a bit of personal growth happening later in life.

OOOOOOO

"Sure you don't want to come in for coffee or something?" Stephen offered when they dropped him and the cloak off an hour or so later. "Wong was waylaid by some enterprising Girl Scouts with big, hopeful eyes the other day. We have cookies. A _lot_ of cookies."

Stark shook his head as Peter got into the front seat with him.

"Next time. Pepper's waiting for us, now."

The magician snapped his wrist and made a _chak-ka_ sound, imitating the cracking of a whip, and Peter grinned at the insinuation that Tony was whipped. Stark rolled his eyes, knowing full well that Romanoff had the scariest magician on Earth wrapped around her little finger, so he didn't take it personally.

"Thanks for letting me have a ride in your car, Peter," Strange told Peter, ruffling his hair before he managed to get settled in. "When you have your license, you can drive me somewhere."

"Yeah. That'd be great."

As long as it wasn't in the city. At least not until he was seventeen.

Strange went inside and the Pontiac was turned toward the tower.

OOOOOOOOO

When they got there, Peter was surprised and touched when he learned that there was now an official parking space for his Pontiac in the parking garage. He smiled when they pulled into the well-lit area nearest to the private elevator. One sign said _reserved for Pepper Potts_ , and another decreed that the space it guarded was reserved for _Tony Stark_. Between the two, and where Tony parked the Pontiac, was a sign that boldly stated _Peter Parker_ was the only one allowed to park there.

"Wow, thanks."

It was exciting and touching for several reasons, really. It showed him that they wanted to make sure he understood that he _belonged_ – something that he always wanted. Yes, it was just a _parking_ spot, but it was _his_ parking spot. It also made him realize that in only a little over a year from then, he'd be _driving_ whenever and wherever he wanted – which was exciting, even though he'd never really considered driving the most important thing. Especially in a city like New York, where most people took cabs to get from point A to point B. At the time, though, he didn't have such a beautiful car. And his spot was _between_ theirs, which he didn't know was on purpose or not, but it reminded him of the way that they tended to flank him whenever they walked with him, or sat with him on a sofa or something. With him in between them as if to protect them.

Tony smiled.

"It was Pepper's idea," he admitted. " _I_ wanted to put your sign on the helipad on the roof, but she vetoed that."

Peter smiled, and Tony put his arm around his shoulder while they waited for the elevator.

"it's still great."

"We'll make sure she knows you approve." The elevator opened, and they got in. "Do you need anything while we're here? Got enough clothes? _Underwear_? Anything that we have here that you can't get at the compound?"

"Like what?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know. We're going to try and anticipate what you need, but we're going to count on you helping us, there. Like Steve and Jack are learning each other's needs, Pepper and I are going to be trying to figure you out, too. But we expect you to speak up if we miss something. Understood?"

"Yeah."

"We want more _good_ days than bad ones," Tony told him, seriously. "A lot more."


	87. Chapter 87

Pepper wasn't quite ready to go.

She was finishing up a phone call – and Peter was impressed that the phone call was in what sounded like either Chinese or Japanese – _and_ she wasn't using a translator. He didn't say anything, since the call was on speaker, but she smiled a silent greeting to him and Tony when they walked into the office, and waved him over to give him a hug by way of greeting without once missing a beat in the conversation she was having.

Stark kissed her cheek but then he took Peter's collar and guided him over to the other side of the room where they wouldn't be too much of a distraction.

"Something to drink while we wait?" he offered.

"Yeah."

They went to the bar, and Tony handed Peter a soda, while pouring himself a cup of coffee, and both of them sat on stools and watched her silently as she finished up the call. Only when the people on the other end of the line hung up did she shake her head with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, guys. Last minute call."

"We're in no hurry," Stark reminded her as she walked over to them and he put his arms around her without getting up. "Anything serious?"

"No. Just considering a merger with a new company that is working on cutting edge VR technology."

"That means _virtual reality_ ," Tony said, looking over at Peter, who rolled his eyes with an amused smile, well aware that Tony knew he knew what VR stood for.

"I knew that."

Pepper smiled, too.

"I hope you're _interested_ in it," she told Peter. "Their main application at this point is video games and interactive movies – and they're going to be sending some prototypes and samples for me to look over. I expect you to try them out and let me know what you think. I'm sure Ned would be willing to help."

"Sounds great."

"Good. What did you guys do today?"

"Worked on Peter's watch – which is _FUBAR_ , by the way – and then he did some homework. Spent time with Romanoff, and Wanda Maximoff came by to meet Peter, and then brought Stephen home in the Pontiac, as you know."

"What did Wanda want?" Pepper asked, curiously, glancing at Peter's wrist automatically. Sure enough, the bandages were there, but not the watch.

"I think she just wanted a chance to meet him face to face. Maybe Vision sent her, since he'll never be able to meet – not with the Mind stone in his head, that is. She says Peter saved her life, and wanted to know if she could do anything for him."

Pepper raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"When did you save her life?"

He shook his head and shrugged.

"I _didn't_. She saved mine, really. She started to fall into a portal when she was fighting those magicians that grabbed me and I hit her with a web to stop her. But she wouldn't have been there in the first place if not for saving me."

" _She_ seems to think otherwise," Stark told Pepper, finishing his coffee and standing up. "But apparently Peter could only think of having her do his _homework_ – and she declined that honor."

She looked over at him.

"You're not stressing it, though, right?"

"No. I'm fine. Really. It's going good. I just couldn't think of anything else that was pressing right then except getting it done. It's not like I need anything, really. Food, clothing and shelter – got the basics, and _then some_."

He gestured to the room they were in, which was obviously more than the basics, and she smiled.

"And if you think of anything that you _do_ need, you'll let us know, right?"

"Yes."

"You guys brought the Pontiac?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm excited to have a chance to ride in it."

"You could _drive_ it," Peter offered. "If you want, I mean."

Her gaze softened at the offer, well aware what the car meant to him. Which told her what _she_ meant to him.

"I will take you up on that someday," she told him, pressing a kiss against his cheek. "But not today. I'm tired and don't feel like dealing with traffic. I'd rather be chauffeured."

"Okay."

"Let me get my things and I'll be ready in a minute."

OOOOOOOOO

When they pulled up to the Avengers compound a couple of hours later, there was a stranger in the garage, standing with Steve and looking over Natasha's ruined Corvette, which had been towed back to the facility and parked off to the side away from the other cars so it could be checked out by the forensic team, and then simply left there for convenience.

Jack rushed over to greet them as soon as the Pontiac came to a stop and Peter scooped the puppy into his arms, cheerfully, rubbing his belly as Steve and the other man walked over to greet them.

The man was introduced as an insurance estimator, who was just there to get the ball rolling on getting Romanoff's car fixed – or having it totaled out, whichever the case may be, but he whistled as he looked at the Pontiac.

"That is a classic."

Stark smiled, tossing a glance over at Peter.

"Yes, it is."

"You've done a good job with it, Mr. Stark," the man told him, admiringly.

"This is _Peter's_ car," Tony said, gesturing to the boy, who was still holding Jack.

"It's beautiful."

"Thanks."

"Would you sell it?"

"No. Thanks."

"Too bad." He shook his head. "I don't blame you, though. I wouldn't, either."

The adjuster went back to the Corvette, and Peter set Jack down.

"I'm going to go check on Natasha," he told Pepper and Stark.

"Dinner at 7, okay?"

"Okay."

He left, and Jack followed him out of the garage and into the corridors. The puppy was clearly bored with looking at cars and ready to find something else to do, and someone else to do it with.

OOOOOOOO

Natasha looked up at the gentle tapping on her bedroom door, and her smile gave Peter the permission he was asking for to enter her room.

"Hey."

"Hi."

He walked over to her bed and she patted the edge, telling him to sit down. He looked her over as he did. She looked tired, and bruised, but better than she had the day before. Jack tried to jump up onto her bed when Peter sat down but missed and fell back to the floor with an ungainly yelp, and then a demanding bark, well aware that he was allowed to go anywhere he wanted – if he could reach it.

Peter reached down and picked him up once more, but he didn't turn him loose, figuring Natasha might not be up to dealing with a rambunctious puppy in her bed.

"How are you feeling?"

She reached out and stroked Jack's velvety ears.

"I'm a little tired."

"Sore?"

She nodded.

"Just a little. You?"

"A bit. Mostly if I sit for a while, then it hurts to move around for a while."

"Where have you been?"

"We took Doctor Strange home, and picked up Pepper at the tower."

"In your car?"

He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah."

"Don't forget, you owe me a ride, still."

"No. yeah, whenever you're ready."

"Not today, though."

"Probably a while longer than _that_ ," he said. "Doctor Strange said you'll be in bed at least another week."

She scowled at that, and it made Peter smile.

"What does _he_ know?"

"He's a _doctor_ …" he reminded her.

"Good point."

"Do you need anything?" Peter asked her.

"Can you keep me company for a while?"

Which made him feel good, because she could ask Steve, or Clint, or pretty much anyone to keep her company and he knew that they would be willing.

"Yeah. I'll go take Jack back to Steve, and-"

"He can stay," Natasha told him, reaching over to take the puppy away from Peter, and kiss him a couple of times before settling him on the other side of her. They both watched as he rooted his nose against her side, and into her blankets for a couple of minutes and then settled down, and closed his eyes with a contended sigh. "Cuddle with me?"

Peter nodded and carefully stretched out beside her, which was a lot easier in her bed than in the medical one. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, too.

"There's a guy downstairs looking at your car," Peter told her.

"Yes. The insurance company sent him. How does it look?"

She, of course, hadn't seen the damage to the Corvette.

"It's in one piece, but pretty beat up."

"Kind of like us, huh?"

He smiled at that, and tucked himself against her.

"Yeah."


	88. Chapter 88

_A/N: Pffft. This cold is way too much of life imitating art, as they say. Exactly like I described Peter's - including the cough - and nobody to cuddle with to make me feel better. Booooo! I'm off for a few days, though, and hopefully will get over the worst by then._

OOOOOOOOOO

Natasha fell asleep while Peter kept her company. He didn't mind. In fact, he pretty much expected it. She was hurt and being given pain medications, after all, and as he'd been told numerous times in the past, sleeping was the best way to help the body heal. While she slept – and Jack slept beside her, snoring lightly with his head draped over her thigh – Peter simply held her. He wasn't tired enough to sleep, himself, but he didn't mind laying in the dark, holding her while _she_ did. How many times had she'd done it for him, after all? A million, it seemed.

He'd hold her all night if she needed him to.

It didn't come to that, however. Right before 7 pm, he felt the tingle of magic and a moment later Strange came through the doorway of Natasha's bedroom. The doctor smiled when he saw that Peter was awake, and that she _wasn't_.

"I'll take over for a while," Strange told him, softly. "Tony and Pepper are expecting you in the lounge for dinner."

Peter nodded, and carefully slid out from beside Natasha, trying to keep from waking her.

"Where's the cloak?" he asked, curiously.

"Wong's cleaning it. I'm sure it isn't happy about that."

The boy smiled at that, in complete agreement.

"She's been sleeping for a couple of hours," he reported.

"Good."

He watched as Peter carefully gathered up the sleeping puppy, and then left the room. Natasha stirred, sleepily, either in response to having the puppy moved or most likely because somewhere deep down she was always aware of where Peter was, and somehow knew that he was leaving.

Strange slid into the space that Peter vacated, and touched her cheek when she opened her eyes.

"Everything okay?" she murmured, sleepily.

"It's fine, Natasha," he assured her, brushing a kiss against her lips, tenderly. "Go back to sleep."

She nodded, still mostly asleep, and cuddled up against him, her hand sliding along his stomach and then against his chest where she could feel his heartbeat.

"Where's Peter?"

"On his way to dinner. I assume he'll be back later. Go to sleep."

Natasha did what she was told, and he held her easily while she slept. He had many things to do later, but was willing to make time for her, first. All the time that she needed, really. Besides, he was comfortable with her, and it was relaxing for him to spend time with her – even when she wasn't awake to enjoy it.

OOOOOOO

Steve found Peter just before the boy reached the lounge and smiled when he did. Whether because he was happy to see Peter, or because Peter was holding _Jack_ – who looked adorable asleep – it really didn't matter. He took the puppy Peter offered him, and Jack woke up, his tail thumping excitedly against Steve's chest.

"What did the insurance guy say about Natasha's car?"

"He thinks they can fix it. Something about airbags not going off and no actual engine damage. We'll see. Tony and Pepper are watching for you. They're in the lounge."

"Thanks, Steve."

"Thanks for watching my boy, here."

"Anytime."

Peter went to the lounge and Rogers went the opposite direction.

OOOOOO

Dinner was on the table when he reached them only a few minutes later. Both of them smiled a greeting when he sat down and Peter shook his head, amused, when both of them reached for his forehead at the same to check for fever. Pepper dropped her hand, equally amused, and Tony was the one who nodded.

"You're not fevered."

"No. I feel pretty good. Just a little sore."

"Stephen suggested we send you to your bed after dinner," he told the boy. "Another night of rest and if you feel better tomorrow, you'll probably be pronounced fit to be on your feet full time."

"I feel okay, _now_ ," Peter said, shrugging.

"Good. Then the rest will make you feel that much better."

"But I'm okay."

"No. You're still pretty beat up. When you don't limp your way across a room, then I'll believe you're okay. Bed after dinner. I mean it."

He _looked_ like he meant it, too, but Peter frowned.

"But-"

"We're not _abandoning_ you," Pepper told him, smiling at the way both of them had set their jaws, as if neither was going to back down on the disagreement. "When you're settled in bed, we'll come spend time with you. You won't be left to your own amusements or anything. You'll just be in bed, resting."

"You're not up to _sparring_ or anything right now, anyway," Stark pointed out. "A relaxing evening in is what the doctor ordered. Literally, in this case. Besides, we don't want Dr. Bird thinking that we're beating on you, or anything, when you see him tomorrow."

Peter had lost track of days, and was surprised when he realized that it was Thursday and that yes, he did have an appointment with the doctor the next morning. He supposed that he could see where they were coming from on that regard.

"Fine."

He gave in grudgingly, but since the two of them were both in agreement on the subject, he was pretty sure he wasn't going to win the argument anyway. Instead, he made his way through a large meal of spaghetti and meatballs with bread and salad and even cream pie for desert. A heavy meal, but one that Peter was hungry enough to have seconds on pretty much everything before he pushed his plate away and then listened to them continuing the discussion about the new company Pepper had been dealing with. Apparently the new deal and the technology involved was worth billions to Stark Industries.

"Did you talk to Ned?" Tony asked when they had a break in their conversation.

"No. He was busy when I called. I'll try later."

"Invite him out this weekend, if you want," Pepper offered. "I can pick him up after I finish working tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay." He was sure Ned would want to come. It was just a matter of his mom letting him. "What do I tell Dr. Bird? About the bruises, I mean? I can't tell him I got taken by a couple of magicians, right?"

"No," Tony agreed. "That would be too much, I think."

He looked over at Pepper to see if she agreed, and she nodded. But she also looked doubtful.

"I'd hate to have you lie to him, but I don't think he's ready for _that_ kind of reality, yet." If ever. "You _could_ tell him it was a kidnapping attempt, though. That way he'd know enough of the truth that if there's any underlying issue, he can talk to you about it."

"Okay."

"Are you done?" Tony asked, gesturing to his empty plate. "Still hungry?"

"Yeah. No, I'm done," Peter told him.

"Go get ready for bed. We'll be there in a little while."

He frowned at the thought of being sent to his bed, but didn't continue the argument that he'd already lost once.

"Okay."

He got up and left, and Pepper smiled.

"What are we going to do when he's healthy and _really_ wants to argue with us?"

Tony shrugged.

"We'll figure it out. Of course, when he's healthy we won't have to worry about him trying to do too much and hurting himself."

"Are you sure about that?"

He smiled, aware that she was right, and once more amazed to find that they were in a position to have to worry about it. It was a lot easier when he didn't have to worry about anyone – or anything – other than himself. And he hadn't really been all that good at taking care of himself, for that matter.

"Being a parent is _hard_ , isn't it?"

"Yes. I _like_ it, though."

Tony took her hand, and helped her to her feet.

"Me, too."

OOOOOOOO

The evening consisted of watching movies in his bedroom. With one of them on either side of him, Peter was warm, and comfortable, and they made sure that he understood they wanted to be with him, and that he wasn't an imposition. Not so much, though, that Pepper was willing to watch a horror movie with her little family. Especially after Peter pointed out that it was just a clown in the drain lines and sewers luring people in and then killing them. The last thing she needed was to have that particular image stamped into her mind before she went to sleep, after all.

Instead, they settled on, of all things, a _superhero_ movie, and spent the evening watching Superman and Batman battle it out against each other. Peter almost made it through the whole thing, despite the heavy meal and the warm, comfortable bed, but toward the end, he did end up falling asleep, leaning against Pepper, who didn't mind playing pillow, but did want to finish the movie. The movie was almost over and she wanted to see how it ended. Besides, Superman was cute.

Tony just rolled his eyes.

OOOOOOOOO

 _He dreamed of the attack on the highway. He didn't know if it was really a nightmare, or if his analytical mind was just going through the events, trying to determine what – if anything – he could have done differently. It was disturbing, though, as he felt the force of the blows that had rained down on the car, first, and then onto him and finally had seen the hit Natasha took that had knocked her to the ground next to the crumpled Corvette._

 _She wasn't dead. He knew that, even as she fell. Even as the men and the magic reached for him and ripped his hand from the communication watch and then tore it from his wrist with a curse. Peter wanted to make sure she was alright, though._

 _He should go check on her._

 _He should make sure she wasn't hurt trying to keep him safe._

 _Or he could keep her company if she was lonely. He knew loneliness – better than many did – and it wasn't something that she should have to face. Not when he was there and could go keep her company._

 _What if she needed him?_

 _What if she woke up too sore to get a drink, even?_

" _She's fine, Peter…"_

 _A voice broke into his concerns. Calm and comforting and ready to sooth his worries. He recognized it as Wanda's, immediately._

" _I won't know until I check," he pointed out._

" _She's sleeping. Check her in the morning."_

 _He frowned, and shook his head, stubbornly, almost feeling a compulsion to do what she told him, but shaking it off like a dog shaking water from its coat after a dunking in the lake._

" _She's my responsibility."_

OOOOOOO

Romanoff shifted automatically when he joined her, her arm reaching out to pull him up against her, barely waking – even when she nudged those sore ribs – and murmuring a welcome when he tucked up against her side and rested his head on her collarbone.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, also asleep.

"Yes," she assured him, covering him. "Go to sleep."

He did, and so did she.


	89. Chapter 89

They left the compound early the next morning. Like the first appointment with the psychologist, both Pepper and Tony wanted to be there, and Peter was okay with that, feeling the need for as much support as possible. He was nervous, really, and wasn't sure if it was the doctor's visit, or the fact that if he didn't _want_ to be there, the rock that would teleport him wherever he wanted to go would show up and he'd have to make sure that it didn't make him vanish in front of everyone. Which could only end badly.

Tony drove them, with Pepper in the front while Peter dozed in the back seat, his head against the glass. They didn't expect conversation out of him at the moment. He'd looked tired when he'd joined them in the garage, and they'd decided without even discussing it that he could benefit with some extra sleep on the way into the city if he needed to. Which he _did_ , apparently.

Without his watch working, and his phone in his bedroom on the coffee table, he didn't have an alarm, and Tony had had to wake him that morning, once more rousting him out of Natasha's bed. As such, he had felt that he was running behind, and he was tired and a little grumpy. He didn't do grumpy well, _and_ he was stressed about being nervous. Which made him clam up, really. Luckily, Pepper and Tony didn't press him, well aware that he wasn't sleeping well, despite the fact that he'd gone to sleep at a decent time the night before. How _could_ he be when he was sleepwalking almost every night, now, spurred on by who knew what kind of dreams?

But that was the whole point of seeing a doctor, after all.

He _did_ look and feel a little more like himself by the time they reached Dr. Bird's office. Pepper had her hand on the small of his back while they checked in with the receptionist, silently reminding him that she was right beside him and the waiting room wasn't supposed to be a scary place. He leaned into her as they sat on the sofa waiting for him to be called back to the doctor and she brushed a hand through his hair, absently, while they waited.

"Feeling better?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"It's hard to be sleepy and cheerful," she said, making sure he knew she understood.

"Trouble sleeping last night?" Tony asked.

"I guess." He shrugged. "I don't really remember."

"Maybe we can get Bird to hypnotize you…"

Peter rolled his eyes. He'd seen TV.

"So I'll cluck like a chicken when you snap your fingers?"

"Why not?"

Pepper snorted, but before Peter could reply, the doctor stuck his head out his door and called the boy's name. He was still smiling, though, when he got up and headed into the office.

OOOOOOOO

"You look _tired_ , Peter," Dr. Bird said, gesturing for the boy to sit down.

"Yeah. It's been a long week."

"How are you sleeping?"

"Okay. I guess."

"Nightmares?"

"No."

"Are you sleepwalking?"

"Yeah."

"Does that worry you?"

"It worries everyone else."

"And _that_ worries you."

"Yeah. I mean, I try not to let it, but yeah."

He expected Dr. Bird to tell him to stop worrying. Instead, the man changed the direction of the conversation completely and started asking him about May, and what it had been like growing up with her instead of his folks. Peter could spend hours talking about her, so it was hardly a burden, and Bird listened intently while he told him a few of his favorite stories about her. Then he leaned forward a little.

"Let me ask you a question – and give me the first answer that pops into your head, okay?"

"Okay."

"What's the best thing you did this last week?"

"Spent time with the others. And took my new car out."

"What's the _worst_ thing that happened last week?"

"Got kidnapped."

"What?"

It was obvious that he wasn't expecting that answer.

Peter shrugged.

"A couple of guys tried to kidnap me. Well, I guess that they _did_ kidnap me, but they didn't have me for very long."

"What happened?"

"Tony went Ironman and saved me."

"Was it scary?"

"Yeah."

"Did they hurt you?"

"Not too much. Natasha got the worst of it."

He told the doctor a very abbreviated – and edited – account of the events on the highway, and that Tony had saved him, but not the details. And, luckily, Bird didn't seem to want the details.

"Was Natasha hurt badly?"

"She's recovering."

"And you?"

"No. Just some bruises – and my wrist where they grabbed my watch."

He held up his hand, automatically. Bird shook his head.

"That's scary."

"Yeah. A little."

"You knew someone might try to kidnap you, didn't you?"

Peter nodded.

"My friend Ned told me that he'd kidnap me just for my car, but that I'd probably be worth millions to some people."

"You're awfully _nonchalant_ about the possibility…"

Peter shrugged. He couldn't actually tell him everything, but he _could_ tell him some of it.

"I live with _Ironman_ ," he reminded him. "And I'm friends with the _Avengers_. This time was a fluke. Even if someone _did_ manage to catch me again, Tony and the others would save me."

They were out of time – even though Dr. Bird obviously wanted to hear more – and he nodded.

"I bet they would." He reached over the desk and offered Peter his hand. "I'll talk to you again, next week. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"Would you ask Tony and Pepper to come in, please?" he asked. "I'd like to talk to them."

Peter nodded and left the office, but this time Pepper didn't go in to see Bird when Tony did. Instead, she sat on the sofa with Peter, keeping him company for the few minutes that Stark was gone. When he came back out, he smiled at both of them and gestured that they could leave.

"New appointment, next week," he said to the receptionist as Pepper and Peter joined him.

She nodded and jotted a time and the date on a business card and handed it to Tony, who immediately handed it to Pepper, well aware that he wasn't the one who should be holding onto the appointment cards.

"What did he say?" Peter asked, anxiously, as they got into the elevator.

"He told me that you're stressing over the sleepwalking."

"Yeah."

That wasn't a secret.

"He wants us-" and he gestured to himself and Pepper, but not to Peter. "To keep a log of where we find you every morning that it happens. He said it could be a hint why you're doing it, if we find a pattern of where you end up each time."

"I end up with Natasha, usually."

"I know. So does he. But we'll do what he asks this week, okay?"

"Anything else?" Pepper asked as the elevator opened and they headed for the car.

"He asked about the kidnapping, and how I felt about it."

"What did you say?" Peter asked, curiously.

"That the idea of losing you again terrified me and infuriated me all at the same time, and that the next people who tried to take you from us would end up worse off than the first two."

"But they're _dead_ ," Peter pointed out.

"Exactly." He put his hand on the boy's shoulder, and pushed him gently toward the car door. "Come on. Let's get some breakfast, deliver Pepper to the tower and then get back to the compound. I want to get your watch back together today, if I can, and _you_ probably want to check on Romanoff – and do some homework."

"Yeah."

"You _know_ ," Pepper said, as Stark opened her door for her. "If _you_ can't figure out his watch, you can wait until this evening. Ned will be there, after all, and he can probably fix it."

Tony rolled his eyes, but Peter had a feeling that he did recognize some truth in that statement.

"I can fix it. I built it, after all."


	90. Chapter 90

They had breakfast at IHOP before dropping Pepper off at the tower.

"I'll see you boys tonight," she told them as they walked her to the elevator, which opened to reveal that Happy had come down to the garage to meet her. "Try not to blow anything up while I'm gone, okay?"

Peter frowned over at Tony.

"Is that a _concern_?"

He shook his head, kissing her goodbye.

"I haven't blown anything up in a _long_ time. How about you?"

"No."

"See?" he told Pepper with a wink. "We'll be fine."

"Or you're _due_. I'll stop and pick up Ned when I'm done, and we should see you around seven, I think."

"We'll wait and have dinner with you guys,"

They got into the car and left the garage, and Tony looked over at Peter as he merged into traffic, carefully.

"Ned's bringing you more homework?"

"Yeah."

"We'll take the completed stuff in on Monday, okay?"

"Okay." Peter hesitated. "I'd like to finish going through the boxes from the apartment, too…"

Stark looked over at him.

"You sure you're up for it?"

"Not _alone_."

He'd learned that lesson.

"You probably need someone to help you with the heavy boxes, anyway," Tony told him. "I'll help you."

"I didn't see any boxes from my old room."

"They're in a different place."

"Oh. I would like to go through them, too. Find my D&D stuff, and some books, at least."

"We can do that," Stark assured him. "They're all at the tower. We'll send the rest of the stuff somewhere that can use it. Especially the furniture."

"Okay."

"Or we could have a yard sale."

Peter shook his head.

"May knew a woman who ran a shelter for battered women. They could use all the furniture and clothes and house things, I bet."

"We'll find them, then. Anything that you want to keep of hers, we can put in a safe for you, if it needs to be kept safe."

"Thanks."

They didn't talk too much on the way back. Mainly just spending the drive being together. When they returned to the compound they planned on separating. Peter's mornings were for homework, according to the schedule they were trying to set, and he wanted to spend time keeping Natasha company. Tony was going to work on Peter's mangled watch. They would have a late lunch since they had a late breakfast and were planning on eating a late dinner as well with Ned and Pepper.

Stark turned on some light music, to allow Peter to fall asleep if he needed the nap, but even though the boy was silent, watching the scenery as they drove, he didn't sleep. He wasn't so sore that he needed the escape sleep allowed, and he wasn't so injured that he needed the sleep to heal. Besides, he'd caught up on his missed sleep during the drive out to the city that morning.

"I'll come get you for lunch," Tony told him as they pulled into the garage.

Without a watch, he couldn't call him, after all.

"Okay."

"You'll be with Natasha, or in your room?"

"Yeah."

"Be good."

Peter rolled his eyes and headed one direction, toward his quarters – and _Natasha's_ – and Stark went to the command room, just to make sure that there wasn't anything going on that needed his attention. He was pretty sure that if there were, he'd have heard about it by now.

OOOOOOOO

With an armful of homework, Peter peeked into Natasha's quarters. She wasn't in the living room area, so he let himself into the room and then went to her bedroom, knocking lightly on the doorframe before actually looking in. She was in her bed, eating an early lunch or a very late breakfast, and she wasn't alone. Clint was lounging beside her, munching on some toast and playing cards with her.

They both looked over.

"Peter!"

Barton rolled out of Natasha's bed – the _other_ direction instead of just rolling over her as he might have if she weren't injured – and went around the bed to greet him.

"Hey, Clint. How's it going?"

"Tell me that isn't homework?"

"Yeah. I'm supposed to be working on it in the mornings – to try to get caught up. But there isn't any reason I can't do it while keeping Natasha company."

"Good thinking."

"He's just saying that because he's losing," she told the boy.

"She's just saying that because it's _true_ ," Clint countered.

Natasha patted the side of her bed, while Clint went around to the other side to reclaim his spot.

"Want to play?" she asked as Peter settled himself next to her, sitting cross-legged with his papers in his lap.

" _Cards_? Really?" he shook his head. "I'll watch."

"And do your _homework_ ," Barton added.

"And do my homework," Peter agreed. The company would be good, anyway. "Where's Steve?"

"He's trying to teach Jack how to fetch."

"He's a _retriever_ , isn't he?"

"Yeah," Clint told him, with an amused grin. "Getting him to go after something isn't the problem. It's getting him to bring it back. If you look out the window at the field right now, chances are you'll see Steve throwing a ball, and then chasing Jack to get it back."

Peter grinned at that.

"How do you feel?" He asked her.

"Sore," she admitted. "But better than yesterday."

"Did you see Dr. Strange today?"

"He came and had breakfast with me – not long after you guys left."

Clint made a bunch of kissing noises from his spot on the other side of her.

"I don't know about _breakfast_ ," he told Peter, while Natasha reddened just a little and rolled her eyes at the teasing. "But there was a hell of a lip lock going on when I walked in on them. Then he tries to tell me she had something in her _eye_ …"

Peter laughed at that – and at Natasha's reaction.

"You realize I'm only putting up with this because I can't _kill_ you right now, right?"

"I'm _counting_ on it," Clint said, impudently.

"How was your doctor's appointment, Peter?" Natasha asked.

"Not as interesting as _hers_ , I hope," Barton quipped.

"No. Just talking."

"That's what you do with psychologists," Romanoff told him.

"Did you tell him about the magicians?" Clint asked.

"Yeah. But he just thinks it was a _kidnapping_ – not wizards trying to kill me."

"What did he say?"

"Asked if it was scary, and if they hurt me – and Natasha. Not too much, we didn't get into that until it was almost time for me to go."

"Any suggestions for the week?" Clint asked, knowing that they had come away with some ideas for them the week before.

"No, the same stuff as last time – but he wants Tony and Pepper to keep track of my sleepwalking. If I _do_ any."

"Is Ned coming this weekend?" Natasha asked, thinking that if Ned was there, Peter might not sleep at all – which would certainly keep him from sleepwalking.

"He'll be here tonight."

"Bringing more homework?"

"Yeah. I'll get a bunch done while he's here, though, because he'll help me with it."

"Or do it for you," Barton added.

Natasha frowned at that, but Peter just shook his head, assuring her silently that he wouldn't let Ned do his homework for him. Help him by giving him the answers?

Absolutely.


	91. Chapter 91

Peter spent the rest of his day with Natasha, mostly sitting on the edge of her bed working on homework. Sometimes Clint or Steve were with them – although both men recognized that the boy was more than enough company to keep Natasha from being lonely, and since they had work to do they could come and go as needed. Sometimes it was just the two of them. Mostly she _slept_ , which was fine with him. He'd learned a long time ago that he didn't need to carry on a full time conversation with Romanoff to have quality time with her.

When it was lunch time, Tony simply brought in a tray of sandwiches and soup and they had lunch there, rather than leave her alone. She'd already eaten, so she merely nibbled on some crackers, and she fell asleep once more while he was there, but it was the thought that counted. When they were done eating, Peter told Stark that he was going to just keep working on his homework and stay with Natasha until Pepper arrived with Ned later that day.

"You're _okay_ , though?"

"Yeah. I'm not stressing it, or anything. It's just quiet right now, and a good time to do it, you know?"

"Alright." He'd finished eating, and announced himself fairly close to being finished with the rebuild of Peter's communication watch. "They're restocking the fridge in your room for the weekend. Any requests?"

"No, thanks."

Peter had discovered that the bartender in the lounge was the one responsible for making sure that the food kept in his fridge was constantly being switched out if it started sitting for any length of time. She was pretty much in charge of all the snacks in the lounge, and the vending machines, so it only made sense. A quick word with Pepper had also culminated in the addition of several varieties of vegetable and fruits to supplement those less healthy items and she'd checked in with Peter personally to make sure she knew what he preferred as far as drinks, snacks and flavors.

As a result, there was always something to eat in Peter's fridge, but with Ned coming to visit, they wanted to know if there was anything special either of the boys would want. Something to fuel what would undoubtedly be all night video game marathons, or movie nights.

"I'll come get you when they're close," he said, gathering up the remains of their lunch. "We'll meet them in the garage."

"Sounds good."

OOOOOOOO

It was just around six forty-five when Pepper pulled into the garage, the sedan gleaming wet from the rain that was falling outside. She parked in the space next to where Peter and Tony were standing, waiting, and Stark was quick to open the door for her and offer her his hand.

"Hi honey," he murmured, softly, as she kissed his cheek and handed him the bag that held her work things, including her laptop. "How was the drive?"

"Quick and entertaining," she told him, turning to watch as Ned unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

"Hey, Peter. Mr. Stark."

"Hi, Ned," Tony said, before Peter could. "Welcome back."

"Thanks." He said hello to Peter, but his ready gaze had spotted Natasha's beat up Corvette. "Wow, they sure did a number on Natasha's car, didn't they?"

Peter looked at Pepper.

"I told him about the attack on the way in," she confirmed.

It would save everyone else the trouble of doing so, and she had the boy to herself for more than an hour, so why not? Ned knew Peter's secret, and knew what Stephen Strange was capable of. He definitely could handle knowing what had happened on the highway – and in the basement room following Peter's abduction.

"It's crazy that we were joking about someone trying to kidnap you just days before it actually happened, huh, Peter?" Ned said, walking over to check out the Corvette up close. "Did they use a missile on this thing?"

"Just magic," Stark confirmed. He looked at Peter. "Get Ned settled in, and then come to the lounge, okay? We'll meet you guys there."

"Okay."

"Where's Jack?" Ned asked, looking for the puppy while Peter pulled his bag out of the backseat of Pepper's car.

"Last I saw, Steve was going to give him a bath, so he might be chasing him down, somewhere."

"How are _you_ doing?" Ned asked, taking his bag so Peter didn't have to carry it. "You look beat to shit."

The bruises on Peter's face had faded a bit, and the cut was pretty much healed, but he was still sore enough to walk a little stiffly and still looked like he'd been involved in something serious.

"I'm fine," Peter told him. "Just some bruises. Natasha took the worst of it."

"Can we stop and see her?"

"Yeah. She's expecting you to come and say hi when you get here. Unless she's asleep, then we'll wait until she wakes up."

"So these guys weren't really trying to ransom you, though, right? Pepper said that Dr. Strange told her they had planned to kill you?"

"I guess. That's what I heard, too."

Of course, he'd heard it from the source, so he knew it was most likely true.

"Damn, dude. Are you _scared_?"

"No. And not because I'm brave, or anything like that, but there aren't _that_ many magicians out there – and now there's two less than before."

"It's not just _them_ , though, right?"

"They're the ones that wanted to _kill_ me," Peter clarified. "Anyone else would probably just be in it for the money. Natasha kicks ass, Ned," he said, seriously, as they walked the corridor to his quarters. "You didn't see her. Even against these guys when we were way out-classed she was amazing. Put her against a couple of regular kidnapper types and they wouldn't have had a chance."

"She's not walking you to school every day, though."

"But she's teaching me. Her and Steve and Dr. Strange have all spent time teaching me how to hold my own – or get away. I'm fine, Ned. Besides, even if someone grabbed me, Tony and Dr. Strange could find me."

"Yeah…"

He didn't look completely convinced, but he had to admit that Peter was probably right, and he shook off his concern – for the moment, at least. He was in the Avenger compound, after all. It never got old for him to be surrounded by superheroes and the tech that supported them, and Peter was going to be one of them, too, some day.

"Pepper's working with some company that is doing VR research," Peter told Ned, changing the subject as they reached his rooms. "She said that they're going to be sending her some samples and mentioned letting us try them out."

"Cool. Video games? Or research?"

"You'll have to ask her."

Ned threw his bag on Peter's sofa, and looked around.

"You need to put some stuff on your walls in here if you're going to be living here, you know? This place is Spartan."

"We're only here until I stop sleepwalking."

"Yeah? How's _that_ working out for you?"

Peter rolled his eyes, well aware that Ned knew how it was working out.

"Did you talk to your mom about going someplace for my birthday?"

"She said I can't go to Mexico – something about dad's fondness for _tequila_ – but I can go anywhere else. I mentioned it in class – you know, all kinds of _offhand_ and casual – and MJ would go, I bet. _Anyone_ would, I bet, but most of them are dicks, so we don't want them coming."

"Yeah, I don't want a lot of people. Any particular place in mind?"

"I don't really care. You know that. It should be someplace _you_ want to go. It's your birthday. But when mine comes around, you might mention Singapore to Mr. Stark."

OOOOOOOO

They stopped in to check on Natasha, who was sleeping, and then went to meet Pepper and Tony for dinner, but they weren't in the lounge yet, so they got a couple of sodas from the bar and went to the corner table to wait. The two pulled out a chess set and started a game to kill time, but they weren't very far into it when Stark and Pepper joined them.

"Here," Tony said, handing Peter his watch. "Put that on and double check the fit."

Since the watchband was self-adjusting, there was little worry about it not fitting, but Peter did what he was told and put the watch on over the bandages on his wrist. It immediately adjusted and he rolled his wrist to settle it, then activated the web shooter, first, and then checked the communication channels one by one, to make sure they were online.

"Looks right," he said, pleased to have the watch back. "Thanks."

"Don't take it off, okay?"

"I won't."

Tony looked over at Ned, who was watching Peter, excited, since he knew that he'd be able to check out the new web shooter feature later. Stark reached into his pocket and handed Ned a box.

"Here, Ned."

The boy looked puzzled, and then he opened it and his face lit up.

"No _way_ …" He pulled a watch that looked similar to Peter's from the box, and turned it over in his hands. " _Seriously_?"

Tony shrugged.

"Yeah. Why not?" he smiled at Ned's excitement, looking over at Pepper who was also smiling.

They watched as the boy took in the engraved Avenger's symbol on the back of the watch, and also ran through the communications lines.

"It's not _exactly_ the same," he said. "You have a line to _Peter_ , and a line to _me_. In case something happens. You also have _GPS_ – again, just in _case_. Since Peter's a target, and you're his best friend, we want to make sure that we're doing whatever we need to in order to keep _you_ safe, too. Put it on and don't take it off."

"Wow…" Ned put the watch on, admiring the way it self-adjusted to his wrist, too. "Thanks, Mr. Stark."

"You're welcome. Peter can show you how to use it."

"I know how."

He'd checked Peter's out more than once, after all.

They were interrupted by dinner arriving, and while they ate – in between admiring his new watch - Ned asked Pepper about the VR tech company Peter had told him about. The rest of the meal was spent with the two of them discussing the different applications and research that that company was doing.

Tony would put in a comment here and there, since he was familiar with VR tech as well, of course. Peter _understood_ the conversation, but he didn't really have much to add. The VR application could make some interesting upgrades to his Spiderman suit – and Tony was almost certainly thinking about possible future additions to his Ironman suit – but Peter was distracted by the thought that Ned _was_ a potential target for kidnappers, now, and just because he was Peter's friend.

That was scary.


	92. Chapter 92

When they were done eating, Peter and Ned headed back to Peter's quarters, planning on stopping at Natasha's to check on her, first.

"That went well," Pepper said with a smile, watching as the boys left.

"Yeah. I knew it would."

"You're not _really_ worried about Ned, though, are you?"

"No. Not too much. But just in case something were to happen, now we definitely have a way to find him. Besides, he's Peter's best friend. He should have a way to contact him."

"He _does_. It's called a _cell phone_."

"This is better."

Of course it was. It was an Avenger watch, and had first class tech – which was the best thing ever where Ned was concerned.

"He can't get on Facebook on his _watch_."

"That's what his _phone_ is for," Tony told her. He reached for her hand. "The kid's going to be distracted with Ned for the rest of the night. I wonder what _we_ could do to keep ourselves amused…?"

"Hmmm… Let's go do some _research_ on that…"

He smiled and pulled her to her feet, an arm going around her, cheerfully.

"Good idea."

OOOOOOOOOO

"This thing is amazing," Ned said. _Again_. "Thanks, Peter."

"It was _Tony_ ," his friend reminded him, smiling despite the concern that was nagging him, now. "But it _is_ definitely cool."

He enjoyed the fact that Ned was so happy with the gift.

"I want to try out the communicator," Ned told him, stopping in the corridor. "Go to Natasha's room and let me know if she's awake so I can come say hi."

Peter rolled his eyes, well aware that while Ned _did_ have a bit of a crush on Romanoff, he was uncomfortable watching her sleep. Or probably even seeing her in her bed. Either because of the whole _bed_ thing, or because he didn't like seeing her so bruised and injured. Whatever the reason, he nodded and continued to Natasha's room alone. He didn't run like he might have, because he was still a bit stiff and sore, but he picked up his pace a little and was soon peeking into her bedroom to see if she was awake.

She was, and she looked up at the movement by her door, smiling when she saw who it was and sitting up a little.

"Hey."

"Hi." He walked over to her bed, sitting down on the edge of it, and looking her over. "How do you feel?"

"Like I slept all day."

"Not _all_ day," he reminded her, reaching out and resting his hand against her forehead, looking for a fever. "Just a lot of it."

She caught his hand.

"Got your watch back, I see."

"Yeah, good as new."

"Where's Ned?"

"Waiting for me to tell him if you're awake so he can come say hi."

She smiled.

"So tell him."

Natasha expected the boy to pull his phone out, and was surprised when he simply lifted his watch to his face, pressed a button on it and spoke.

"Come on, Ned. She's awake."

" _Okay."_

"What was that?"

"Tony got Ned a watch," Peter told her. "It has GPS, and a locator like ours do, but he is limited to communications with me and Tony, only. He said it's just in case – since Ned is my best friend and that means he might be in danger of getting grabbed some day."

"It's a valid concern," she admitted, easily reading that he was upset by the thought. "It's one of the reasons you don't let people know you're _Spiderman_ , right? To keep people from retaliating against the people you love when you do something to get someone caught?"

"Yeah. But this is different. He shouldn't be in danger of getting kidnapped just because he's my friend and I'm living with Tony…"

"And he _probably_ isn't," she said. "But it's a possibility that Tony – and really, _any of us_ – would need to keep in the back of our minds. I'm glad that he thought of it. _You_ should be, too."

"I am."

He hadn't thought of it, but _was_ glad that Tony had, now that Natasha explained it to him.

"What have you guys been up to?" she asked him, satisfied to see the concern leaving his expression - at least somewhat.

He worried too much about too many things as it was.

"So far we've just had dinner," he said. "We-"

He was interrupted by Ned's arrival, and Natasha smiled as the cheerful young man walked into the room, looking over at her bed, making sure she was awake and that she didn't mind him being in her bedroom. Natasha waved him over, immediately noticing the new watch gracing his wrist – and his pleased expression.

"Hi, Natasha," Ned said.

Peter moved to the other side of the bed to give him room to talk to her.

"Hey, Ned. Nice watch."

His grin lit up the room and he held it up so she could get a better look. She didn't wear one, he knew.

"Mr. Stark gave it to me. To keep in touch with Peter and in case anything happens. Pretty bad, huh?"

"Yeah, it is."

"How are you feeling? Pepper told me what happened to you guys."

"A little sore. I'm stuck in bed for a few more days, according to the doctors."

"Your car is _destroyed_ ," Ned told her. "I can't believe you both walked away from that."

"It was pretty intense. What are you guys doing tonight?"

"We're going to play video games," Peter told her. "In my _bedroom_ , though, so we don't bother you or keep you awake."

With a shared wall – and that wall being the one that the TV in his living room area was on, they had already learned the hard way (for _Natasha_ ) that a loud explosion from a video game could be heard as a vibration if nothing else in her room.

"Do you need anything?" Ned asked.

"No."

"Dinner?" Peter suggested.

"No. Steve is going to come by in a bit and keep me company. Until then I'm going to nap a little more. Thanks, though, guys. Go have fun. Don't stay up too late."

Both boys nodded their agreement, and Peter leaned over to kiss her cheek. Natasha, feeling just a little playful after getting all the much needed rest that she'd gotten that day, caught his face with her hands and kissed him squarely on the mouth, grinning when he blushed as he pulled away.

"Call me if you need anything," he told her, smiling and shaking his head. Whatever it took to amuse her. Besides, it counted as a kiss, as far as he was concerned. He didn't have that many real kisses under his belt and was always willing to add to the count. "Remember, I have _snacks_ – and we're just next door."

"I will," she promised.

They left her bedroom and Natasha's smile only grew when she heard Ned's impressed exclamation.

 _"Dude…"_

OOOOOOOO

They had a lot of options for entertainment in Peter's room. Video games, of course – both PC and console based – as well as movies that were streamed in. Any movie, too. Not just ones that were available commercially, but also movies that were out in the theaters. Tony didn't go out to the movies very often, but occasionally he would want to see something recently released in the theaters. This was his answer to avoiding the spectacle that going to a theater would cause for him – and the other movie-goers.

Peter and Ned already knew what they had planned. Peter had actually already moved his console into the bedroom – closer to the snacks and where it wouldn't annoy or disturb Natasha, no matter how late they stayed up.

They warmed up with an auto racing game, but were soon online, playing war games with other players around the globe, divided into teams and saving the world over and over again from the mad tyranny of any number of made up bad guys.

When Tony came to his room to check on them well into the early hours of the morning, they barely looked up from their controllers to do more than say goodnight and assured him that they weren't going to stay up all night.

OOOOOO

"Are they okay?" Pepper asked, sleepily when he joined her back in their bed a short time later.

"They're going to be up all night."

"Oh?"

He put his arms around her and cuddled up against her, pressing a kiss against her neck.

"I saw at least a dozen empty soda cans, snack cake wrappers everywhere and potato chip bags strewn about. There's so much sugar in their systems right now I'd be surprised either of them goes to sleep until Sunday."

She smiled at that.

"They can always sleep in tomorrow. We don't have anything planned, right?"

"Nope. This weekend is downtime for all of us."

"Did you check Natasha?"

"Yeah, I wanted to make sure they weren't keeping her awake. She's sound asleep with Jack in her bed. I assume Steve will wander by and collect him later."

"Aww. We should have him sleep with us, sometime…"

Stark shook his head.

"A puppy would definitely cramp my style," he told her, pressing kisses along her cheek, then her ear and finally back to her neck. "How could I have my way with you if I had to worry about getting my ear nibbled on at the same time?"

"Who's to say _I_ wouldn't nibble on your ear?" she asked him, turning in his arms to do just that – which made him chuckle, and sent a thrill through his entire being that bode for plenty more to come.

"Think it's _safe_?"

"Tell Friday to warn us if Peter leaves his rooms and heads this way. Just in case."

Stark did just that, and then turned his full attention to Pepper, assuring both of them that while they did have to make _some_ adjustments to having Peter in their lives full time – especially at the moment when he might sleepwalk himself into their bed at any time – there was still plenty of time for them to be alone together.


	93. Chapter 93

When Peter woke, he found himself sprawled on his bed, in his own room, a video game controller still in his hand and his entire body aching just a little from the odd position he was in. He sighed, and looked around – a quick check to make sure that he really was in his _own_ room and not somewhere else, but his fridge confirmed that – as well as the framed photo on his bedside of him and May at the park that he'd taken with her a few years before.

He felt a familiar pang of sorrow as he studied the picture while he woke up a little more. The cheer on their faces, never imagining that they had had only a few more years together at that time. Of course, this time _last_ year he would never have thought she'd have left him. Her grip on him in the _photo_ was tight, and the emotional one she still had on him utterly unbreakable. Peter sighed, softly, and rolled out of bed, aching now _inside_ as well as out.

He glanced at his watch and was shocked that it was well after noon. A quick look into the living room on his way to the bathroom showed that Ned wasn't anywhere to be seen. Probably had woken up and gone to find something interesting to do, leaving Peter to a much needed rest. Peter knew that with the entire Avenger compound at his disposal Ned could spend hours just looking around. Especially if he ran into Steve, or Tony, or even Bruce if he was around.

Peter went next door to check on Natasha, still somewhat melancholy from his waking thoughts of May and how much he missed her. She was sitting up in her bed, propped by a mountain of pillows and reading. On the stand by her bed was a tray with the remains of a meal on it. She smiled when she saw him peek in and moved a little, automatically making room for him and setting the book aside.

"Hi, baby…" she said, greeting him when he joined her in her bed. "You look like you just woke up."

"I _did_ ," he admitted, nestling against her, silently asking to be held if she wasn't too sore.

Romanoff put her arms around him, as if she understood that he needed support. She was willing, always, to give him that.

"Did you stay up late?"

"Yeah. I think I fell asleep playing…"

It would explain waking up with the controller in his hand, anyway.

"Where's Ned?"

"I'm not sure. Not in my rooms."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "Just thinking about May…"

"Oh." Her hand brushed his cheek. " _Good_ thoughts?"

"Yes."

"Good."

He buried his face against her collarbone for a long moment, but he wasn't tired enough to let her comforting presence to lull him to sleep.

"Do you need anything?" he asked her, finally.

"No. I just had lunch, and will probably read myself to sleep."

He glanced at the book she had been reading, and saw that it was his copy of _The Stand_.

"What do you think of it?"

"I'm still in the character development stage, but it's going to be an interesting read. A lot of death, though, I can tell… Are you _really_ up to reading something so dark right now?"

"I don't know," Peter admitted. "I've switched to a different book, though, so take your time reading it. Not to mention Ned brought me more homework to keep me occupied."

"Are you keeping up?" she asked him, trying to get an idea of how he was feeling about where he was, and how he was doing. It was harder for her to keep track of that while stuck in bed.

"Yeah. Making a scheduled time to work on it is helping, I think. And you were right about morning being the best time to do homework."

"I'm _always_ right," she told him with a smile, hugging him close. "I'll be the first to tell you that."

He grinned, and his stomach growled.

"I'm going to go find Ned – and some lunch. You're okay?"

"Yes. Go on, now. I'll be here if you need me."

He kissed her and then pulled away.

"Thanks, Natasha."

Peter picked up her tray and took it with him since his first stop was going to be the lounge. He felt much better having spent time with her, and was fairly cheerful when he left her room.

OOOOOOOOO

Tony and Pepper were in the lounge when he arrived there with Natasha's tray. They were sitting at the corner table playing cards and watched as he carried the tray over to the bar, spoke briefly with the bartender, and then walked over to them.

"Awake at last," Tony said, greeting the boy with a smile.

Peter nodded and hugged Pepper from behind before he sat down with them.

"Yeah. Where's Ned?"

"Playing with Jack, last we heard," Stark told him.

"Call him," Pepper suggested, reminding Peter that he did have a way to talk to Ned any time, now.

Peter pressed the right button.

"Ned?"

There was a moment's pause.

" _Peter. Finally awake?"_

"Yeah, I'm in the lounge."

" _I'll be right there."_

"No hurry," Peter told his friend. "I'm going to eat something. Come when you're done doing whatever you're doing."

" _Okay."_

They heard a happy bark in the background, so while none of them were completely sure what he was doing – or where – there was no doubt _who_ he was doing it with. Tony smiled.

"I told you not to stay up all night…"

"I know. It wasn't _all_ night, though."

"According to Ned, it was pretty _close_."

"Is there anything you boys want to do today?" Pepper asked.

"No. Not really. I know Ned brought his swim trunks, though."

He knew that time in the pool meant that someone would have to be with them, however, and with Natasha stuck in bed, and Clint home for the weekend, that meant Tony or Pepper – unless Steve was willing to play lifeguard.

"That can be arranged," Stark assured him.

The bartender brought Peter a tray with a burger and fries on it, and he thanked him. It smelled amazing.

"What did _you_ guys do last night?" Peter asked, hoping that they had a chance to do something that they liked doing for a change, rather than entertain him.

Pepper smiled, but it was Tony who answered, winking over at her while Peter was looking down at his plate, putting ketchup on his fries.

"Just fooled around…"

"Cool."

OOOOOOOO

Peter and Ned spent several hours playing in the pool under Tony's watchful eye. Then they spent the time between then and dinner playing on the Quinjet simulator, which never got old to them and was always worth hours of fun when it wasn't being used by any of the pilots – or would be pilots at the facility.

They had dinner with Tony, Pepper and Steve, and were discussing their evening plans – which, for the boys, was going to be movies in Peter's quarters – when Peter was warned just in time to look up and see the Cloak of Levitation tearing through the air toward him, exuding a cheerful greeting. As the others watched, it wrapped itself around him, making him drop his fork – although he _did_ manage to hold onto the roll he'd had in the other hand.

Ned grinned at the ancient relic and held a hand up to it, receiving a high-five for his efforts, and Tony smirked, wondering if Strange knew the two boys had managed to turn the powerful artifact into a surfer. All of them turned toward the entrance waiting for the doctor to show, but he didn't.

"Is Dr. Strange here?" Peter asked the cloak.

There was a definite yes as a reply, but it was distracted, rubbing his ears and cheeks, reminding him that it liked him and good-naturedly chiding him as if it were Peter's fault that it hadn't seen him in so long.

"Maybe he stopped to check on Natasha," Pepper suggested.

Another yes, and Peter passed that information along for the others.

"He usually will start at my quarters," Peter reminded them. "He probably figured since she was right there, he might as well check in with her."

 _Peter_ would have, after all.

"Good. At least we know she has company," Stark said, watching as Ned reached down and picked up Peter's fork for him.

OOOOOOOO

Strange was, indeed, keeping Natasha company. He'd watched the cloak vanish around a corner in the corridor – obviously heading for the lounge, where Peter must have been – and had turned his own attentions to the door next to Peter's. A quick glance told him she wasn't in the living room or the bathroom, and he tapped the door of her bedroom when he saw she was awake, to warn her that he was there.

With a spy, it was not only the _polite_ thing to do, but not a bad idea in order to avoid anything sharp being automatically tossed your direction.

She'd looked up from the book she was reading, and her welcoming smile told him to come in before she actually said it.

"How do you feel?" he'd asked her, settling into the space beside her – _above_ the blankets – and leaning over to kiss her.

"I'm fine, Stephen. _You_ look tired, though."

"I _am_. A little. I've been in London."

Which was enough explanation for her. She ran her fingers along his jaw and chin, and leaned in for another kiss.

"Are you done? Or do you have to go back?"

"I'm done for now," he replied.

"Keep me company for a while?"

"For as long as you want," he assured her, kissing her once more before resting his head on the pillow beside hers and reaching for her hand.

He could check in with the others later. It wasn't like they weren't going to know exactly where to find him, after all.

OOOOOOOO

"Hey buddy… You're in my spot."

Strange and Natasha both opened their eyes. Natasha was startled; not a lot of people could sneak up on her – even when she was medicated and hurt. Peter was one of them, though, and Steve was another. The boy was quiet when he wanted to be and familiar enough to her that his presence never set off her internal warnings like many others would. She hoped he wasn't upset; she _did_ promise him that whenever she was at the compound, she was there for him, after all, and Stephen was most definitely in his spot.

The boy was smiling, though, she saw immediately. The Cloak of Levitation was wrapped once around his neck and hanging down his shoulder, and he was relaxed and almost cheerful.

Strange didn't move his head from the pillow.

"I was here, first."

Natasha smiled, as well, her eyes gleaming with good humor.

"I'm cuter."

"I'm _bigger_."

"She loves me more."

"She has terrible taste."

Peter smiled at that.

"I'm going to watch movies with Ned, so I guess you can keep it warm for me."

"You're too _kind_ ," came the sarcastic reply, and Strange squeezed the hand he was still holding, thoroughly enjoying himself. "Just remember; a Master of the Mystic arts doesn't move for any man. Even a cute one with big, doleful puppy eyes."

Peter chuckled, and Strange felt the boy's hand covering his eyes. Peter leaned over him and kissed Natasha's cheek, while the cloak brushed a corner of fabric against her ear, in greeting.

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" he told her. "We'll be right next door,"

"I will, thank you."

"Or if he annoys you. I'll come move him for you."

"I _can_ hear you," Strange reminded them both, smiling. "And I can do _magic_ …"

Peter moved his hand from the doctor's eyes, ruffling his hair, impudently, before stepping back.

"So can _I_ , remember?"

He grinned at Natasha, and left her room, eager to get back before Ned got bored and started the movie without him. Strange heard the door to her quarters close behind the boy and he looked over at her.

"I know he was only _joking_ , but he wasn't lying. It's somewhat daunting to imagine just how powerful he could be one day."

Natasha nodded, running her fingers through the hair that Peter had messed up.

"Good thing he loves us, huh?"


	94. Chapter 94

A hand slapped his shoulder, drawing him from a very good dream. He jerked awake, opening his eyes and looking around. Peter was standing over him, looking down at him, his expression concerned.

"What's going on?"

"Come on. We gotta _go_."

"What?"

" _Come on_ , Ned. And be _quiet_ , okay?"

"Yeah…"

Ned rolled off the sofa, and reached for his shoes, but realized that Peter was only wearing the sweats that he'd gone to bed in. No shoes, no socks, no shirt or anything.

"Where are we _going_?" he asked, curiously.

"Someplace safe."

"It's _3 am_ , Peter."

"Shut up, Ned. They'll hear you."

"Who will?"

Peter didn't answer. He went to the door, opened it quietly and then slipped out, looking around carefully before gesturing for Ned to follow him. Which he did.

They went down the corridor, and Ned watched, confused, as they turned the opposite direction as the lounge – which he initially thought was where they were going. Maybe Peter had wanted a midnight snack? Instead, they were heading for the other end of the compound. Ned was amazed just how quiet Peter was as they walked.

"Where are we-?"

He was interrupted when a man that he thought he recognized came around the corner, startling both Ned and the newcomer. Apparently not Peter, though. _He_ responded immediately, his hand coming up and a glob of webbing coming from the shooter in his watch. The startled man suddenly found his mouth muffled with one shot of webbing and his hands stuck to the wall with two more that had followed before Ned had even realized what was happening.

"Holy _shit_ , Peter!" Ned said, shocked. "Are you out of your _mind_?"

"Come on, Ned," Peter said, grabbing him by his collar and not giving him the chance to stop and free the now struggling man.

Ned outweighed his friend – by a _lot_ – but he couldn't resist his grip, even though he did struggle for a moment so he could stay on his feet. With Peter still holding him, they entered the garage, and Peter looked around before pulling Ned over to the Pontiac and opening the passenger door.

"Get in."

"What?"

"Get in, Ned. _Quick_. Before they see you."

" _Who_?"

"Just get in, okay? _Please_?"

"Fine."

Ned shook his head and did as he was told, and Peter closed the car door behind him. He reached for a canvas car cover and draped it over the Pontiac, making sure no one could see into the car. Ned hesitated and then reached for his watch.

OOOOOOO

A chime woke him, and Tony frowned, looking at his watch. And then he frowned again.

"Ned?"

" _Yeah. Sorry."_

"What are you doing?"

" _I think Peter's sleepwalking. What do I do?"_

Stark sat up, wide awake now.

"Where are you?"

" _I'm in the garage. I don't know where_ he _is."_

Stark was on his feet.

"Are you okay?"

" _Yeah. He told me to get in the Pontiac and then left me here. Do I stay herer?"_

"Yes. Just stay there for the moment."

" _He stuck a guy to the wall, too."_

Tony frowned, and looked over at Pepper.

"I'll send somebody to you. Stay put for now, okay?"

" _Okay."_

"I'll be back," he told Pepper, already activating the suit.

"Bring him here if you can."

"I will."

Stark headed for the door, already calling Steve.

OOOOOOOOO

"What are you doing, Peter?"

"Finding something for Ned to eat."

Stark put the box of frozen steaks back onto the shelf and took the bag of vegetables from the boy.

"It's cold in here," he said, reasonably. "Why don't we get you someplace warmer?"

The walk-in freezer in the lounge kitchen was no place for a boy in just sweats, or a guy wearing pajama bottoms and a t-shirt to hang out and chat.

"I need to get Ned something to eat. I've got to take care of him."

"Steve's going to take care of Ned for us, right now."

"He's _my_ responsibility."

"But Steve is a member of the team. You _trust_ him, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. Come on, let's go talk to Pepper."

"Okay."

Tony was careful not to grab Peter. For that matter, all he did was rest his hand on the small of his back, simply to connect with him as they walked out of the freezer and then out of the lounge. A few minutes later, they were walking into Stark's quarters, and into the bedroom.

Without a word, Peter crawled into the bed where Pepper was waiting, and slid under the blankets that she held back for him, sidling right up beside her warm body and immediately going still.

"He's freezing," she told Tony, wrapping her arms around the boy.

"Because he was in the _freezer_ ," Stark told her, joining them in the bed, and cuddling as close to Peter as he could to get the boy between them two of them to warm him up.

"What was he doing there?"

"Getting food for Ned. Who was put in the Pontiac and covered up for safe keeping."

"Because we mentioned that Ned might become a target…"

"Probably," Tony conceded.

"Damn."

"He had to be told."

Pepper tucked Peter's head under her chin.

"You know, maybe we need to talk to Vision about the Mind stone."

"The Mind stone isn't causing the sleepwalking," Tony reminded her. "He was doing it long before the thing even knew about him."

"But it's _already_ in Peter's head, right? If it can give him answers to his homework, why can't it tell him to go back to bed when he starts sleepwalking?"

Tony considered it, and then shrugged.

"I don't know that it would understand the problem – or even _care_ – but it's worth trying. It wouldn't be the same as having Wanda in his head messing with him."

"Right."

"Good idea." He looked at his watch. "We'll wait until Monday, though."

"How's Ned?"

"I don't know. I sent Steve to get him."

He had had to worry about Peter, first, at the time. Ned was safe. Probably a little freaked out.

OOOOOOOO

"He did _what_?"

"Hid Ned in the Pontiac."

Natasha frowned, looking at Steve in disbelief.

"Where's Peter, now?"

"With Tony and Pepper."

"Where's _Ned_?"

"Back in Peter's quarters. I told him we'll debrief tomorrow."

She smiled, despite the seriousness of their conversation.

"I bet he loved that."

"Of course. That was the whole point of saying it that way."

"He's okay?"

"He's fine, Natasha. Just amazed at how fast Peter is. He took out Fury before he had a chance to even lift his hand."

"Oh, no. What did Nick say?"

Steve shrugged.

"He's not looking forward to debriefing and having to admit that a fifteen year old took him by surprise and disabled him without a second thought."

She smiled.

"At least he wasn't in his bed this time."

"Yeah."

"Tony said that Pepper came up with an idea."

"Oh?"

He shrugged again.

"I'm not sure, so don't ask. We'll find out in the morning."

"Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Need anything?"

"No. I'm going back to sleep. I want to hear the debriefing, though."

"We'll see if the doctor's say you can get out of bed for it."

"If I can't then you can do it here."

Rogers nodded.

"I'll see you in the morning."

"Thanks for letting me know what happened."

"I figured you needed to – just in case you're Peter's next stop. Or the next person he decides that he needs to hide."


	95. Chapter 95

_A/N: This story certainly went longer than I initially intended for it to!_

OOOOOOO

Pepper was still holding Peter when he woke the next morning. She was dozing, herself, simply holding him as he slept, and enjoying the fact that it was still the weekend and she didn't have anywhere that she had to be and could be available to spend time with her little family. At least _some_ of it. Tony had gotten up and went to debrief with Ned and the others only half an hour before, but it _had_ been all three of them earlier.

She opened her eyes when she felt him shifting in her arms, aware that he was waking up and pulling her head back enough that she could see him. As such, she was able to watch when he opened his eyes, sleepily. She watched as he looked around. First up at her, and then at the room and the bed. Pepper could see in his expression the moment he realized that he wasn't in his own bed, and certainly wasn't in his own quarters.

His expression grew hopeless and his eyes grew bleak.

"I did it again?"

She nodded, her hand brushing against his forehead.

"It's okay, Peter."

He shook his head, and she was dismayed to see that his eyes were wet, tears welling up and escaping down his cheeks.

"What do I _do_ …?" he murmured, and she knew he wasn't asking her.

"Peter, _don't_ …" she said, softly, brushing away the tears. "This isn't something you're doing _wrong_ …"

"I should be able to stop it," he said, miserably. "I _should_. I can walk up walls, and… and jump off buildings… I should be able to keep myself in my bed at night…"

The tears of frustration were coming hot and fast, now, and Pepper tucked his head back under her chin, deciding that he wasn't ready to hear that it wasn't something he could control or stop. If anyone knew, she most certainly did. Instead, she held him through the worst of the tears, knowing just how upset he was. How embarrassed, confused and angry, and probably _scared_ that he was, since she'd been all of those when she'd been younger and would wake somewhere other than her bed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, eventually.

"You don't _have_ to be," she told him, not letting him go. "I've been there, remember? It's okay, sweetheart."

"I thought seeing the doctor would make it stop," he said into her neck. "It did last time."

"How long did it take _last_ time?" she reminded him. "You've only been twice. You've got to give yourself a little time, Peter. This isn't something that was solved in a couple of weeks last time, but you guys solved it, then. We'll solve it this time, too."

He sighed, and she was holding him closely enough that she could feel his body lose some of the tension that was keeping him so rigid.

"You _really_ had this problem, too?" he asked into the silence of the room.

She chuckled.

"Oh, my, yes. It was bad, too. I lived on a farm. I'd wake up with the chickens one morning, and the cows the next. Sometimes covered in manure because that was the warmest thing in the barn to cozy up with."

Peter pulled away enough to look up at her, his eyes red and swollen, but his expression doubtful.

"Really?"

"Yes."

He tucked his head back under her chin, not ready to be released into the world, again. Not just yet. Pepper brushed her hand against the back of his head, caressing his hair, soothing him.

"Where did _I_ end up?" he asked.

"In the freezer in the lounge."

"Seriously?"

"That's what Tony told me."

"What was I doing? Did he ask?"

"Getting food for you and Ned."

Peter sighed.

"Does Ned know?"

Maybe he could sneak back into his room without his friend finding out he was so messed up.

"Yes." She pressed a kiss against his ear. "It's still early, Peter. Why don't you go back to sleep for a while? We were thinking we could do brunch up the road, later. Maybe turn it into a Sunday morning tradition. What do you think?"

"Okay."

He didn't make any indication that he was interested in moving from her arms, yet, and she had no intention of letting him go, just then. instead she rocked him gently as she held him, thinking back to her own sleepwalking days.

"What do you suppose happens if two people who are sleepwalking run into each other?" she asked him, idly. "Do you think they would recognize what was happening? Or join in on whatever the other one was doing?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know… I wouldn't want to wake up in manure, though."

Pepper smiled, and kissed him again.

"It wasn't fun, believe me. I'd be so embarrassed, and upset. And smelly."

That forced a chuckle from him, and she pulled the blankets up over the two of them, tucking them around him to make sure he was still warmly covered. Within minutes, he was asleep again, and she didn't take much longer before she was, too.

OOOOOOOOO

Ned didn't know how to give a debriefing report. But he knew how to tell a story. As far as he was concerned, it was an exciting story, made even more so by the fact that he was telling it to the _Avengers_ and the main character was his best friend.

They were gathered in a small briefing room not too far from Natasha's quarters; she'd been bundled in blankets and carried there by Steve, who had complained about that extra pork chop she must have had for dinner, and her rolling her eyes, amused, despite the reason for them gathering. Tony was there, of course, and Ned. Along with a very disgruntled looking Nick Fury, who would scowl every time Natasha looked his direction.

There was a pot of coffee, and a plate of donuts, but Ned was the only one eating one. The rest of them had the majority of their attention on him.

"So he told me to get up, so I did, and he said to be quiet, so I was. I thought maybe he wanted to raid the kitchen – we used to do it when we were little; sneaking into the kitchen like we were on a mission – only it was to snag something out of the fridge without my mom catching us – or May, if we were at his place. Ice cream sandwich, or leftover chicken. Pretty much anything. It was just us being _Avengers_ , you know?"

Steve nodded, understanding completely.

"Then what happened?"

"He kept saying that they were going to hear us, so we had to be quiet. I figured something was up when we went the other direction than the lounge, and then we startled Director Fury, and _ffft_ , _fffftt_ , _ffffttt_ , he was caught against the wall – just like _that_!"

Fury scowled, ignoring yet another amused look that Natasha Romanoff tossed his direction.

"It wasn't just like _that_ ," he muttered.

"What _was_ it like?" Natasha asked.

"What happened next, Ned?" Fury asked the boy, clearly ready to skip beyond his own part in the narration.

"We got to the garage and Peter told me to get into his car. I didn't think we were sneaking out for a drive – not in _his_ car. The _Lambo_ , yeah, but Peter's afraid to drive his car – even though he won't admit it – so I knew it was something else. He said to hurry before they saw me, and then closed the door and covered the car up. That's when I called Mr. Stark to see what I should do."

"Did he ever say who _they_ were that he was trying to hide you from?" Tony asked.

"No. Do you think it was the guys that kidnapped him?"

"What do you know about that?" Nick asked, curiously.

" _Everything_ ," Ned said with a shrug. "Unless I'm not supposed to. Then I don't know anything."

Romanoff wasn't the only one to smile at that.

"What are you going to do about this, Stark?" Fury asked, looking over at Tony.

"He's seeing a psychologist, Nick. Pepper has an idea to go directly to a different source to get it to stop, too. Until then we keep doing what we're doing, and keep him from hurting himself."

"You should try to figure out a way to get the _Mind stone_ to tell Peter to go back to bed if he's sleepwalking," Ned said, biting into the donut he was holding. "It's in his head already."

"What do you know about the Mind stone?" Fury asked the boy.

"Everything _Peter_ does," Ned admitted. "Again, unless I'm not _supposed_ to know it. Then I don't know anything."

Romanoff didn't bother to hide her amusement, and Fury tossed another annoyed look her way before he stood up.

"Is the boy alright?"

"He's sleeping with Pepper."

"Let me know if there's anything I can do."

Proving that he wasn't going to hold a grudge, despite having his early morning snack attack interrupted.

"I will, Nick." He watched with them all as Fury left the briefing room. "Are we done here?"

Steve and Natasha both nodded.

"I think so."

"Okay. Brunch at 11 at the restaurant up the road," Tony told them. "Not you, Natasha. You're going back to bed."

"Damn it."

"We'll bring you a doggie bag," he promised. He looked at Ned. "I don't have to tell you that no one at school hears about this?"

Ned shook his head.

"I wouldn't do that to Peter."

"Yeah, I know. Go find something to do to keep yourself occupied in Peter's quarters, okay? Call me if you need anything."

"Okay."

OOOOOOOO

Pepper roused when he joined her in their bedroom, pressing a gentle kiss against her temple before tucking the blankets around the two sleeping figures in the bed.

"Done?" she whispered.

"Yeah. Everything okay here?"

"We're fine."

"Breakfast at 11, okay?"

"Sounds good. Are you coming back to bed?"

He hesitated, thinking of all the things that he could get started, having a couple of hours to himself in his workroom, or with his tablet, and then he nodded. None of that sounded as good as spending time with them. Even if they were both asleep.

"Yeah."

He pulled his shoes off, and settled into his spot on the other side of Peter, pulling the blankets up over himself, as well. The boy stirred when he felt the additional warmth beside him, and Tony brushed a hand against his cheek, shushing him, gently, before he could wake up.

"He needs a haircut," Pepper told him, already closing her eyes, reaching for Tony's hand.

"We'll take care of it, dear."

"Good."


	96. Chapter 96

It was Stark who woke Peter next. Pepper was gone, he saw, when he opened his eyes, and Tony was dressed for his day, but was now simply lounging in the bed on the blankets, reading the news on his phone while keeping an eye on Peter. A gentle nudge of an elbow was enough to wake the boy to make sure he didn't sleep the day away – and miss brunch. Stark set the phone aside when Peter sat up.

"Good morning."

"Hi."

He put his hand on the boy's forehead.

"How do you feel?"

"Terrible."

" _Health_ -wise."

"I'm fine."

Stark nodded.

"Yeah. No fever. Are you sore at all?"

Peter shook his head.

"No. What happened last night?"

He had a feeling that there had to be more to the story than just him being in the freezer, but he couldn't remember anything. And when Tony told him what he'd done, he was almost glad that he couldn't.

"We pretty much should have expected something like that," Stark pointed out, watching Peter's expression range from disbelief to chagrin and frustration. "You take your responsibilities very seriously, and worry about pretty much everything as it is. Add in a potential danger to your best friend, and of course something was going to bleed into your subconscious."

"Is Ned okay?"

"It was an adventure for him," Tony said, shrugging it off. "As far as he's concerned, you're amazing for being able to take down Nick so quickly and get through the facility without being caught. It's one thing to see the YouTube videos that he has, but it's completely different to see it up close and personal."

"Yeah…"

Tony put his hand on Peter's shoulder and shook him, just a little.

"Don't _sweat_ this, Peter, all right? It's going to be okay. It'll just take some time."

"It's hard _not_ to…"

"I know." He did, too. "Pepper was thinking that maybe we could figure out a way to use the connection that the Mind stone has with you to try to keep you in bed at night."

"What?"

He shrugged.

"We're still working on the idea, and how to even bring it up to Vision, much less how to let the stone know what we're talking about. So don't worry about it, yet, but if you think of any way to formulate the idea in its simplest terms to make it easier to present it to the Mind stone, let me know, okay?"

"Yeah."

His expression had changed again. From mostly bleak and hopeless to contemplation – which was much better as far as Tony was concerned. He slapped Peter's shoulder.

"We're going out to eat. Go get ready. I need you and Ned in the garage by 11."

"Okay."

Peter started to get out of the bed, but Stark stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, his expression unreadable.

"Have I mentioned how much I love having you here? With us?"

The boy smiled, and Stark hugged him close for a moment before letting him go and giving him a push toward the door.

OOOOOOOOO

He stopped by Natasha's room on his way to his own to check on her and see if she needed anything. A quick peek into her bedroom told him that she was soundly sleeping, and he walked over to stand by her bed, feeling a little creepy watching her sleep like he was, but wanting to reassure himself that she was comfortable and didn't look lonely.

It was hard to resist the very real temptation he had to crawl into her bed next to her and hold her for a while, just to make sure she wasn't being left by herself too much. Instead, he leaned over and brushed a hand against her cheek so lightly that she didn't feel it, much less wake up. A kiss followed and then he pulled her blanket up a little and left her to her sleep.

OOOOOOOO

" _Holy shit_ , Peter," Ned said, by way of greeting when he returned to his own quarters. The boy was sitting on the couch in Peter's living room area, looking through the homework that Peter had completed, but he stood up immediately. "How do you feel?"

"Stupid," Peter admitted, closing the door behind him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Dude, you were freaking amazing last night. You were all, ' _follow me, Ned, and be quiet, and fffftt, ffftt, fffft, take that Nick Fury…_ ' seriously cool, man. No wonder you're not worried about being kidnapped."

Peter smiled, despite himself. The fact that Ned was handling the whole sleepwalking thing so calmly – well, calmly for _Ned_ , anyway – helped more than his friend would ever know.

"Sorry I dragged you out of bed."

"No, it's cool." Ned grinned. "Next time, we should do it with you _awake_ , just to see how far you could go without someone catching you. I wonder if you could invade the compound. They should use as an infiltrator to test the security or something. Maybe they'd let me go along to help, somehow."

"Maybe." He didn't think so, but why curb any enthusiasm? "What are you doing?"

"Checking your homework and finishing some of your assignments. The ones that don't require a lot of writing, so my handwriting doesn't give it away, anyway. You got most of the answers right."

"Thanks, Ned."

"Yeah."

"We're supposed to meet the others in the garage at 11, "

"Mr. Stark told me. I'm going to take all my stuff with us, that way you guys can drop me off at home when we're done. Too bad my building doesn't have a landing pad on top – maybe we could take the jet to save time."

Peter grinned at that.

"Wouldn't that be cool?"

"Yeah. And that much more street cred for me."

OOOOOOOO

They worked on Peter's homework until it was time to meet the others in the garage, and since it only turned out to be the four of them going, Tony drove them in the sedan. He kept an eye on Peter in the rearview mirror, watching the boy's expression as he listened to Ned and Pepper discussing the VR company once more.

Peter looked a bit subdued, but not anywhere near as upset as he had, and Stark was glad that Ned had been around. He was good company for Peter, and obviously a loyal friend. He decided that as long as Ned's mom was willing, he'd keep inviting the boy to the compound every weekend. Until Peter went back to school and had his friends around him every day, it would be a good diversion.

And next week he'd have Peter invite MJ – even if it was just for the day.

When he pulled into the valet parking at the restaurant, he handed the keys over and rested a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Doing okay?"

"Yeah."

The meal was good, as always, and the staff was becoming a little more accustomed to having Stark there. They still had a private area, which kept people from coming up and interrupting them for autographs, but they only had a single server keeping their glasses full and catering to any special requirement – which they didn't have.

During the meal, the conversation went to school. Ned spent a lot of time explaining what each class was going over at the time – to give Peter a background of what his homework was going to be – and because some of it was actually interesting.

"Mrs. Lang loved your experiment on Jack," he told Peter and the others over dessert. "She's going to enter it in one of the regional academic contests."

"What about yours?" Peter asked, well aware that Ned's had been a lot more interesting.

Ned shrugged, modestly.

"It went in last week."

Pepper asked him about his DNA experiment, and he started describing it to her. What the hypothesis was, the entire experiment and what the conclusion had been. That conversation got them through the rest of the meal, and the drive back to the city, and verified what all of them had already known. Ned was a very bright young man.

When they reached Ned's apartment building, Peter went up with him to say hello to his mom, whom he hadn't seen since May's funeral, leaving Tony and Pepper in the car, waiting.

"Did you mention the thing with the Mind stone?" Pepper asked him.

"Yeah. I'll call Vision tomorrow and see what he thinks."

"Did you discuss _haircuts_?"

"Not yet. I thought I'd see if Stephen wanted to come, too."

"Don't wait too long. We already have a lab puppy at the compound, we don't need a sheepdog."

Tony smiled.

"He's not quite that far gone."


	97. Chapter 97

"Are you _sure_ you don't want one?"

Tony scowled, slightly, and rolled his eyes at the image in the rearview mirror. An image of a fifteen year old smart ass who was eating one of the many cinnamon rolls that Ned's mom had sent home with him when they'd left the city.

"You think you're _funny_ , don't you?" he asked, ignoring Pepper's smile as she enjoyed a cinnamon roll as well. He wasn't really annoyed; it was good to see Peter somewhat cheerful, really, even if it was at his expense, but he did have an image to maintain. "We can always pull out the old hospital bed and stick you next to Romanoff while Stephen doses you with more antigen…"

"They're _good_ ," Peter pointed out, his mouth full.

"It isn't _nutmeg_ ," Pepper reminded him. As usual.

"Close enough."

Pepper licked her fingers and looked back at Peter.

"Did Ned have a good time?"

"Yes. His mom said he can come next weekend if we want the company."

"Do you?"

"Yeah. If it's no trouble."

"He's fun," Pepper told him. "I can see why you two get along."

Peter smiled at that and nodded his agreement, licked his fingers free of the icing and settled a little into his seat.

"What do you have for homework?" Tony asked, looking back into the reflection, waiting for him to keel over because of the cinnamon or explode from too much sugar in his system.

"I have three books to read and a bunch of papers to write."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, it's all English."

"Including the stuff Ned brought?"

"Yep."

"How did you manage that?" Pepper asked, obviously surprised.

"Ned looked at some of it last night after he got back to my rooms from the garage, and then he helped me finish a lot of it this morning."

"Good."

Neither one of them were concerned that he'd had help. Tony was just pleased to finally not see a worried look when the subject came up.

"Is there anything you want to do with the rest of the day?" He asked Peter.

"I'd like to spend some time with Natasha," he replied, honestly. "Unless Dr. Strange is already with her. What are you guys going to do?"

"Cards in the lounge," Pepper told him. "And you are welcome to join in if you want."

He shook his head, but given his lack of skills with cards, she wasn't too surprised.

"I'll check on Natasha."

If she already had company, he could take one of his books to the lounge and read while they played cards. That way he still felt like he was spending time with them, even though he wasn't doing anything with them.

They fell silent, then. Stark turned on some of the easy jazz that he liked to play while driving, and turned up the heat in Peter's part of the car to make sure he was warm enough. Not to mention it was always amusing to watch the boy try not to fall asleep while driving. Pepper put her hand on his thigh and he covered it with his own, giving her a smile that told her he was about as contented as he could be just then.

Peter leaned against the window, feeling the chill of the glass offset the warmth of the car, and watched the scenery go by. His interrupted night's sleep was making it easy for him to relax, and Tony nudged Pepper with an amused grin and made a slight gesture toward the back seat when he noticed Peter was starting to drift off. She put down her sun visor and used the mirror to watch as he closed his eyes, then opened them, shifting just a little to wake himself up.

Tony turned up the heat a little more and Pepper shook her head, amused, at the silent battle going on between the two men in her life. Especially since only one of them knew it was a contest. Peter trying valiantly to stay awake, and Tony using every trick at his command to lull him to sleep. With the broken night's sleep and the constant drain of being worried all the time, Peter didn't really have much chance of winning, even with the sugar coursing through his system from the cinnamon rolls, and eventually his eyes closed and stayed closed, and Tony smirked, signaling his victory.

OOOOOOOOO

Natasha was watching a movie when Peter peeked around the doorway of her bedroom. She caught the motion immediately – even with the distraction of the TV – and glanced over and smiled, waving him into her room.

"Hey, Peter."

"Hi."

"How was lunch?"

"Good."

She patted the spot beside her, which was all the invitation he needed, of course, and he got into her bed next to her. She flipped the blankets over him, even though it wasn't cold in the bedroom, and he cuddled up against her, not holding her because he was worried about hurting her – a common concern just then – but close enough that she would know he _wanted_ to.

"Did you guys take Ned home?" she asked him, turning a little toward him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah. His mom sent cinnamon rolls for us and said to tell you hello. Have you been alone all morning?"

She smiled at his concern, but shook her head.

"No. Steve came by and had lunch with me a little while ago. I expect Stephen to show up sometime this afternoon."

"Want company until then?"

"Of course. You know you don't have to ask."

He nodded, hesitating to put an arm around her.

"How do you feel?"

"Pretty good," she told him, taking his hand and pulling it over her stomach, taking the decision away from him and telling him it was okay to hold her – in fact, she wanted him to. "I just have to convince the doctors that I can get out of bed. They want me to stay for another few days. I'm probably ready to go light duty, now."

"They're the experts," he reminded her, understanding completely.

He could feel the bandages under her shirt that were protecting her injured ribs, though, and he felt a pang of guilt at the reminder that he was the reason she had been hurt in the first place.

"Did Ned have a good weekend?" she asked, changing the subject, as if aware of what he was thinking.

"Yeah. I'm glad he came."

"Me, too. Especially since I'm stuck in bed and can't keep you company. What did you guys do?"

"Apparently I tried to hide him in my dad's car and feed him frozen food."

She heard a combination of chagrin and frustration in his voice – tinged with just enough amusement that she knew he was worried about the sleepwalking, but that he could see the madness of that particular situation.

"I meant besides that," she told him. "I knew about the freezer thing. I sat in on the debriefing this morning with him and Nick."

"Was he mad?"

"Ned?" she asked, purposely misunderstanding. "No. He thought it was exciting. And now he understands a little better just what you can do, I think."

"I meant _Nick_."

"He doesn't have any _reason_ to be mad, Peter," she reminded him, brushing her hand against his hair, thinking idly that he definitely needed a haircut. "But, no, he isn't mad. He understands what's going on and he gets it."

"You guys are a lot more patient than I would be," Peter said, shaking his head.

Natasha pulled away enough to look at the boy, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"You _think_ so?"

"Yeah. I'm a spaz, Natasha. Admit it."

"So if _I_ were sleepwalking – unwillingly getting up every now and then, and I needed you to come get me back to bed to keep me from hurting myself, you would be angry?"

"No, of course not."

"You'd get tired of it and not want to come find me – especially if I was afraid?"

He shook his head.

"I'd always help you, you know that."

"Because…?"

"Because you're my _friend_. More than a friend," he admitted.

"If I needed you to keep me company – like you are right now – would that annoy you?"

"No."

He was smart enough to see where she was going with the conversation, and knew it made sense. It just didn't feel quite the same, since _he_ was the one causing all the trouble.

"Why would you think that I would feel differently than you would? I care about you – and Tony and the others care about you – at least as much as you care about us. You know that, right?"

"Yeah."

He did.

"Then stop worrying about being a spaz, and remind yourself that if the situation were reversed, you'd be doing everything that you could to make it less stressful for me, and that it isn't a burden. It's just what you do for your friends. Because you want to. Right?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. You're right."

"Of course I'm right." She tucked herself back up against him, bringing his arm around her once more and settling in. "Now pipe down so I can watch my movie, okay?"

"Okay."

"And tell me you love me."

He smiled.

"I love you."

"Good. I needed that. Thank you."

"You're welcome."


	98. Chapter 98

It was getting close to dinner time. Peter and Natasha were dozing in her bed, and a movie was playing on her TV, but neither of them was paying much attention to it. He felt the slightest of warning only a few moments before someone was grabbing him around his belly, pulling him away from Natasha's side.

" _Peter!"_

He opened his eyes just in time to be wrestled to the floor and pinned under Clint Barton, who had obviously just returned to the compound, and had come to check on them.

Peter grinned up at him.

"Hey, Clint."

"How's my favorite ninja?" Barton asked, rubbing Peter's hair and thumping him on the chest, clearly going out of his way to be as annoying as possible.

Steve Rogers was there, too, standing at the door, watching.

Peter rolled his eyes, trying to pull his head away, but unwilling to go full strength with Clint, no matter how much stronger he was than Hawkeye.

"You heard about that, huh?"

" _Steve_ told me." Barton got up and planted himself in the spot that he'd just pulled Peter from, pulling Natasha's blankets over his legs and snuggling up beside her, pressing a kiss against her temple. "How's my favorite super spy?"

Romanoff smiled.

"Tired of being in bed."

"Enjoy it while you can."

"I'm over it."

"I brought you and Peter something," he said, snapping his fingers imperiously at Steve, who rolled his eyes and walked over, while Peter picked himself up off the floor.

Steve handed a couple of cupcakes to Barton, who handed one to Natasha, and the other to Peter.

"My _daughter_ made these," Barton told Peter. "I told her about you and Nat getting into a _car accident_ , and she wanted to send something to make you feel better."

"Awwww," Natasha said, smiling. "That was sweet of her."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't advise actually _eating_ them. She sneezed into the whole batch."

Peter set his on Natasha's nightstand, and Barton grinned at him and reached out and ruffled his hair, again.

"I can't _wait_ to see Nick."

Romanoff pushed him out of her bed with an easy movement that left the archer on the floor once more, still smiling and holding the edge of one of her blankets. When Peter reached down to help him to his feet, it immediately dissolved into a wrestling match.

Almost as if he had some kind of supernatural ability to know exactly when Peter was doing something that he might not be completely ready to do – in this case wrestling with Barton – the boy felt the tingle of magic in use and a moment later Strange was at the doorway near Steve, clearly surprised to see so many people in Natasha's room.

"Gentlemen."

Barton was pinned under Peter, so he didn't have to turn his head to look up at Strange. _Peter_ did, though, and they both gave the doctor identical innocent looks.

"Hey, doc."

"Is there something inherent in your genes that insists that you have to tussle with Peter, Clint?" Strange asked, clearly amused to see Hawkeye pinned by a boy that weighed much less than he did.

Barton writhed under Peter, gaining the upper hand for the moment and taking the top, with a knee on Peter's chest.

"He's tough enough to take it," Clint said, shrugging. "Until my sons are old enough to do it to, I'll practice with Peter here."

Strange shook his head, and went over to sit on the edge of Natasha's bed, watching as Peter tried rolling away from Barton's knee.

"I'd suggest _arm wrestling_ or something equally innocuous."

"Peter doesn't need something safe," Clint told him, wrapping his arms around Peter's arms to pin them against his sides. "He's a _ninja_."

Natasha chuckled, and Stephen turned his attention from the wrestling match to her.

"How do _you_ feel?"

"I'm fine."

"Sore?"

"Only a little."

"Where's your cloak?" Steve asked, curiously.

"Back at the sanctum."

"It didn't want to come?" Peter asked, getting to his feet and pulling Clint up, as well.

"It wasn't around when I left. If I need it, it'll pop in. Or if it decides it's bored."

'It can do that?" Clint asked, impressed.

"When it _wants_ to."

"We came to discuss dinner with Natasha," Steve said. "Care to join us, Stephen?"

"Absolutely."

"Peter?"

He shook his head.

"I'm going to go see what Pepper and Tony are doing. Thanks, though."

He knew that Natasha would have plenty of people to keep her company and figured she might want some time with grownups instead of with him. Besides, he had monopolized her attentions most of the afternoon and should let the others have a chance to spend time with her.

"Don't forget where I am," Natasha told him.

"And don't forget your _cupcake_ ," Clint added.

Peter shook his head and picked up his cupcake from Natasha's night stand and left, dumping it in the garbage on his way out of her quarters.

"My daughter has a _crush_ on him," Clint said, once the boy was gone.

"Has she even _met_ him?" Strange asked.

"Nope. But I've shown her his picture, and told her about him. She's in love."

"Give her a few years," Natasha told him. "You're going to be wishing it was just _Peter_ when you're fighting back the boys."

OOOOOOOOO

Peter found Pepper and Tony in the lounge, playing cribbage with the remains of a meal on the table with them. Both looked up and gave him welcoming smiles when he sat down with them.

"Want to play?" Tony asked.

"No, thanks."

"We can switch to something else," Pepper told him. "It doesn't have to be cards."

"It's okay," Peter assured her. "I'm going to eat and then read for a while."

"How's Natasha?"

"She's good. Steve and Clint are with her – and Doctor Strange just showed up, too."

"Plenty of company, then."

"Yeah."

"I want to talk to Stephen," Tony said, setting his cards down and looking at Pepper. "Preferably before he gets so comfortable that he doesn't want to get up. Be right back, okay?"

She nodded and they both watched him leave.

"How do you feel?" Pepper asked peter. "Any aches and pains?"

"No. I feel okay."

"Did you get a nap with Natasha?"

"Yeah. You guys had dinner?"

"We did." She smiled and reached out to touch his forehead, unable to help herself. "We assumed you would either eat with Natasha or sleep through dinner and have a late meal. Want me to order you something?"

"I can," Peter assured her. He looked at the peg board. "Who's winning?"

Pepper made a rueful face.

"Tony is. He told me that you wanted to go through the boxes from the apartment this week. Is that right?"

He nodded.

"I should get it taken care of," Peter said. "And there are some things that I want – like my D&D stuff."

"He's going to help you, though, right? You're not going to try to do it alone?"

"No. He said he'd help with the heavy lifting."

Pepper smiled at that, but before they could say anything else, they were interrupted by Tony returning, with Strange walking beside him.

"Look who was heading my way."

"Convenient."

Both men sat down at the table.

"I want to talk to Vision tomorrow, Peter," Stark told him. "See what he thinks about trying to talk the Mind stone into helping with the sleepwalking."

"Yeah."

"I know that you want to do the boxes, tomorrow, and you and I _definitely_ need haircuts. We obviously can't have you at the tower while I'm talking to Vision there, but if I have Happy bring you out later, would that work for you?"

"Why don't you just drop him at the sanctum on your way to the tower?" Strange asked, before Peter could speak up. "It's far enough away that the Mind stone shouldn't be close enough to cause him physical pain. Then, when Vision leaves, I'll join you for a haircut, and even help you with the boxes, if you want."

"I wanted you at the meeting with Vision," Stark said.

"Wong can keep an eye on Peter."

"He won't mind?"

"He likes Peter."

Tony looked at the boy.

"You okay with that?"

"Yeah."

"That's what we'll plan, then," Tony said, looking at Pepper and then the other two. "Pepper and I will drop Peter at the sanctum at about eight-thirty and pick you up, meet with vision and then go from there."

"Sounds good."

"If we need to change that, just call me."

"Or if Wong isn't available to watch him."

"I could hang out there without someone _watching_ me," Peter said.

Strange wasn't the only one to shake his head.

"I trust you, Peter," he said, seriously. "But it would only be asking for trouble to turn you loose in the sanctum unchaperoned."

Tony nodded his agreement.


	99. Chapter 99

It was Tony who woke Peter the next morning. It was almost an unspoken agreement between him and Pepper that he'd take care of that kind of thing in the morning. At the moment it was easier for _him_ to, in case Peter wasn't in his bed – which happened as often as not, lately, due to the sleepwalking. He'd simply have Friday locate the boy, and head for wherever he was sleeping at the time. The other reason was more for Peter's sake; since Tony was a _guy_ it would be less uncomfortable for the boy if he'd somehow lost clothing in the middle of the night. So far they hadn't had that problem. He'd been found in his shorts and nothing more once or twice, but who knew what was going on in the kid's mind when he was out of bed in the night and Tony was a better choice to be the one to find him.

Monday, however, found Peter asleep in his _own_ bed, in his room. It didn't really make it any easier to wake him up, but once Peter opened his eyes and looked around to see where he was, he'd nodded to Tony, letting him know that he'd get ready and meet them in the garage.

"You're not going to go back to sleep, right?"

"No, I'm awake."

"You're _sure_?"

"Yeah."

It didn't reassure Stark that he hadn't really lifted his head from the pillow, but his eyes were open and he didn't look _too_ sleepy.

"Don't make me send Steve in here with Jack."

"I won't. I'm awake."

"I _mean_ it…"

Peter sighed and sat up, realizing that Tony wasn't going to go away until he did.

"I'm up."

"Good. We'll see you in the garage in 30 minutes."

"Ok."

Tony reached for his forehead, mostly out of habit – or maybe perpetual _concern_ – but Peter wasn't any warmer than anyone who just woke up would be. He hid the motion by ruffling his hair, affectionately, and left his room.

Peter flopped back down on the bed, but felt pretty good, really. He wasn't too sore – although the healing skin on his wrist itched a bit under the bandages that Dr. Strange told him would probably need to stay on another few days to keep the watch from rubbing it raw and keeping it from healing right.

He rolled himself out of bed and got dressed, looking out the window in his room toward the field. There wasn't anything going on outside – but he knew it was still early. He glanced at his watch and decided that he had time to go check on Natasha before meeting Pepper and Tony. He opened his fridge and grabbed an apple to snack on, knowing full well that they'd be willing to stop somewhere if he asked – or that he could mooch some breakfast from Wong once he was at the sanctum.

OOOOOOO

Natasha wasn't alone. Clint was sitting on the edge of her bed and they were eating French toast and sausages. Both looked up when he knocked on the door and walked into her bedroom.

"Good morning," Barton told him.

Peter smiled, knowing that only the copious amounts of syrup on his plate was keeping Clint from jumping up and trying to tackle him and wrestle him to the ground. Peter loved wrestling. It was another one of those things that he never really learned to do growing up since he didn't have siblings to wrestle with – and it hadn't really been something that May was into doing with her nephew.

"Hey."

He sat beside Clint, and looked Natasha over. She was alert, and didn't look like she was in much – if _any_ – pain. Of course, she was eating French toast, which he already knew was a favorite, so that was always a good way to begin the day.

"How did you sleep?" she asked him, resisting the urge to run her fingers through his hair.

"Good, I think. Woke up in my own bed."

"Good for you," she told him with a teasing smile. " _Bad_ for me."

"Hey," Clint said, pretending to be hurt. "You still have _me_."

Peter grinned at that.

"I'm going with Tony and Pepper. Need anything from the city?"

"Not today, thanks."

He stole a piece of sausage from Barton's plate and left them, heading to the garage at a trot and feeling good about the day so far. It was going to rough – he wanted to finish the boxes and knew that would be hard to get through – but he wasn't going to be doing it _alone_ , this time, and he figured that that might make a difference. He also wanted to hear what Tony and Dr. Strange learned when they spoke with Vision. Waking up in his bed made him feel a little more hopeful, and if they could figure out a way to keep that trend going, he was all for it.

OOOOOOO

The drive to the sanctum was as good a time to connect with Tony and Pepper as if they had sat down to breakfast together. She was turned in her seat as much as the seatbelt would allow so she could talk to him. The conversation wasn't serious; she reminded him that they were getting haircuts that afternoon, and asked him if he and Ned had come up with any good destinations for his birthday trip.

"Ned said it was my birthday and I should choose," Peter told her – and Tony. "He told me to tell you that when _his_ birthday came around, though, Singapore was supposed to be pretty."

She smiled.

"And _have_ you chosen a place?"

He hesitated.

"We could go anywhere?"

"Not _Antarctica_ ," Tony reminded him, proving he was listening, even though his attention was on the steadily building traffic.

"Anywhere _else_ , though," Pepper confirmed.

"Montana."

"It's a big state," she told him, smiling at the choice – and the fact that Tony's hands tightened almost imperceptibly on the steering wheel. Montana had no sandy beaches – and right at the moment, almost certainly no swimsuit weather. "Anything in particular that you want to _do_? Or anywhere in particular you want to _go_?"

"We looked it up. There are places in the mountains that have houses you can rent with huge fireplaces and they have hills for sledding, and places to go snow shoeing. It's already starting to snow there, so they should be cold enough to make it fun."

"If that's what you want, I'll see what we can find."

"Have you ever _been_ snowshoeing?" Tony asked.

Peter shook his head, and both could see that he looked excited about the whole idea.

"No. It looks like fun, though. Have you?"

"I have to admit, I never have. Pepper?"

"I _have_ , but it's been a long time. We'll make sure to find a big place, with enough room for anyone who wants to come." She cocked her head. "Is there anyone you want to invite from school aside from Ned and MJ?"

"I'll think about it," he said.

"It sounds like fun," Pepper told him with a smile. She wasn't against the idea of cold nights bundled up in front of a fireplace drinking cocoa after spending a day out in the snow. "We'll build a _snowman_."

They kept the conversation light the rest of the way to the sanctum, and pulled in front of the building about forty minutes later. Strange and Wong both met them at the door, with the cloak hanging from Stephen's collar – although it immediately engulfed Peter in cheerful happiness as soon as the boy walked in the door.

"Good morning," Strange told them. "How was the drive?"

"Easy," Told him. "Traffic was fairly light."

One of the reasons they tended to leave early when driving in from the compound.

"Coffee?"

"No. Vision's going to be at the tower in a little while. I'd like to be there when he gets there. If that's all right?"

"Certainly." He looked at Peter. "How is Natasha this morning?"

If anyone knew, he was well aware that it was Peter.

"She was having breakfast with Clint when I checked on her."

"Good." He looked at Wong. "You have him?"

"We'll be fine," the other magician assured him. "We can find something to do to keep ourselves entertained."

"Not _too_ entertained," Tony reminded him, well aware that Wong liked testing Peter's capabilities when he had the boy at hand.


	100. Chapter 100

_A/N: 100! Who would have thought this one would be so long? Not me!_

OOOOOOO

"Have you had breakfast?" Wong asked Peter as they watched Stark drive off with Pepper and Stephen.

"I had an apple and a piece of sausage."

The magician rolled his eyes.

"Are they out of food there?"

Peter smiled.

"I slept in. Otherwise I could have had more than that."

"Come on," he said, heading for the kitchen. "We can probably do better than an apple."

They walked into the kitchen, the Cloak of Levitation still crooning cheerful in Peter's mind while hitching a ride on his shoulders and playing with his hair. Wong gestured for him to sit on one of the stools at the island and went to the other side.

"What do you want?"

"Sausage and eggs with toast?"

"Sure." He pulled the necessary ingredients out of the fridge and started cooking. "How are you doing?"

Peter shrugged.

"I'm okay. A little sore, still. Thanks for coming to help save me."

"I still can't believe they were foolish enough to take you. They had to know that Stephen wasn't going to allow them to keep you. Much less _Stark_."

"They said he wouldn't be able to get into the sanctum without permission…"

Wong shrugged.

"They couldn't come _here_ without permission. Strange doesn't have that limitation. He's much more powerful than they are. _Were_."

"Someone else is running the London sanctum, now?"

"Yes. Aleese. She's smart, and powerful enough to take charge there. She'll do well."

"Doctor Strange said they wanted you to take over."

He nodded.

"I told them no. The weather in London isn't to my liking. Besides, I like it here with Stephen. And I'd miss spending time with you."

Wong flipped Peter's eggs and started the toast.

"You made the morning paper. Did you know that?"

"What?"

The magician waved his hand without looking up from what he was cooking, and a newspaper appeared on the island in front of Peter.

"First page of the social page," Wong said. "Section B."

Peter picked up the paper and pulled out the second section, curiously, and immediately saw a photo – obviously taken from a distance, but taken then day before outside the restaurant that they had brunch at. It was him and Tony at the valet, with Tony's hand on his shoulder as he handed the valet his car keys.

"' _Irondad?'"_ Peter read the headline, aloud. " _'Tony Stark adopts an heir_.'"

"They got it _wrong_ , of course," Wong said before Peter could read the story attached to the headline. "But now people will think that you're Stark's adopted son."

"But I'm _not_."

The magician shrugged.

"Might as well be." He turned and gave Peter a serious look. "You watch yourself, Peter. I _mean_ it. You're a target, now, for every kidnapper out there – and everyone who hates Ironman and what he's done to screw up any plots or plans they've ever hatched. I'd tell Stark to move you here, into the sanctum for safe keeping, except that I know he wouldn't – and you would want to."

"No." Peter looked down at the photo again, wondering if Tony and Pepper knew about the story. "I'm not worried, though."

"You _should_ be. People are _crazy_ , boy. You know that."

"Not _all_ of them."

"It only takes _one_. You keep an ear out for those spider senses of yours, you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah. I will. Don't worry about me, Wong. I'm good."

The magician didn't look convinced, but he had given his warning and made his thoughts clear.

"If you need me, call. Okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"What have you been working on?" Peter asked, curiously, knowing that Wong always had some kind of research at hand. Usually more than one project at a time. And more than ready to change the subject.

"Your teleportation stone," he answered.

"The _London_ one?"

Wong shrugged.

"It's the _New York_ one, now."

"You _stole_ it from them?"

The magician shrugged, nonchalant.

"I found it on the floor next to Jorgan's body. He was foolish enough to drop it, I was quick enough to pick it up."

"He didn't _drop_ it," Peter told him. "It was trying to help me, but I couldn't close my hand around it. It kept hitting my palm and dropping to the floor."

"You summoned it?"

"I'm not sure," the boy admitted. "It came to me, but it could have been the mind stone bringing it to me or the stone could have reacted to my need and came to me on its own."

Wong handed him a plate with his breakfast on it and then gave him a fork.

"When you're done eating, why don't we experiment with it a little – just to see if we can figure it out?"

"Okay."

OOOOOOO

"Did you see today's paper?" Strange asked as they pulled into traffic.

"Which part?" Pepper asked, turning in her seat to look back at him.

"The part that showed a picture of Tony and Peter and stated in bold letters that Tony has adopted himself an heir."

"What?"

Tony looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror.

"Seriously?"

A paper appeared in Strange's hand, and he pulled the B section out and handed it over to Pepper, who read the headline and admitted that even though the photo was a little grainy, there was no hiding the affection in Tony's expression when he was talking to Peter. And no missing the hand on the shoulder, which was clearly a paternal gesture.

" _Irondad_ , huh?"

"Whoever came up with it should have copyrighted it," Stephen said. "I have a feeling it will become a common phrase."

"Shit," Tony cursed, scowling. "If he wasn't a target before, he certainly is, now."

"I take it that he hasn't seen it, either, then?"

"Probably not."

"Wong has."

"Then Peter will, too."

"Yes."

"He's going to be fine," Pepper said. "He already knows the _potential_ is there, and he's being taught to be careful and how to protect himself. Plus he has those senses of his. If someone comes up to him and is planning anything, he'd know before they had a chance to try it."

Tony nodded.

"We should still make a statement, or something. To set things right. It might help."

"The more you deny it, the more they'll believe it's true," Pepper said. "And you know it."

"I imagine it will blow over, eventually," Strange said. "Even gossip as juicy as this won't last beyond the next scandal. Just give it time – and keep an eye on him for the next few weeks."

"He's safer at the compound than he would be in the tower, right?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah," Stark said. "I'd think so. The security is pretty much the same in both places, but no one would be able to slip by Steve and the others to get to him."

"So we keep him there – we were planning on it, anyway, until the sleepwalking has sorted itself out."

Tony nodded.

"We'll talk to him about it," he said, looking at Strange in the rearview mirror again. "We're pretty much spending the entire day with him, once we're done talking to Vision. We can remind him what he needs to do to keep himself safe – and maybe have Natasha give him a refresher, once she's out of bed."

Stephen nodded, also. He could read Stark's expression quite clearly. Yes, he was worried, but there was a hard resolve there, as well. He could almost feel sorry for the person that thought grabbing Peter would be an easy payday.

Almost.


	101. Chapter 101

They both studied the rock that Wong had set on the top of the kitchen island after Peter had cleared his breakfast dishes.

"So what do you want to do?" Peter asked, curiously.

"I want you to try and summon it to your hand – but for God's sake don't tell it to _send_ you anywhere if it asks, okay?"

"Yeah."

Peter concentrated on the rock, holding his hand out to it, but it didn't move.

" _Concentrate_ , Peter."

"I _am_."

"Think about wanting to go somewhere. Someplace you _really_ want to go."

The boy closed his eyes and tried to think of someplace, but he didn't have any particular destination in mind and he knew it. There wasn't any place that he rely wanted to go just then. He liked being in the sanctum and was comfortable there, with the cheerful presence of the cloak and the nonstop tingling that came from being around so many magical items.

He opened his eyes and shook his head.

"It's not working."

"There may be an element of desperation needed that we don't have figured out," Wong said, shrugging.

" _You_ try it."

Wong was more disciplined with magic than Peter was by far, and they both knew it. Peter's abilities almost always seemed to come at moments of need and not when he necessarily was trying.

The magician closed his eyes and Peter watched, breathlessly, waiting to see what happened. Which turned out to be nothing.

"I think it wiggled a little," the boy said, picking the rock up and feeling that immediate cheer in his mind.

 _Where?_

"Nowhere," Peter told it, firmly, trying to make sure that he didn't picture anyplace in his mind.

The cheer never lessened, but he felt agreement coming from it, as if it understood he was just holding it and didn't it to send him anywhere.

"So it probably isn't _you_ summoning it," Wong said, reaching for the rock and closing his hand around it. "It still _could_ be the Mind stone – or the rock moving itself as if answering a need."

"Yeah."

Wong vanished, suddenly, and Peter realized that he must have told it he wanted to go somewhere. From what he understood, the others couldn't actually hear the thing ask where they wanted to go like he could, but they could concentrate and it would take them there.

A minute or two later the magician was back.

"Where did you go?"

"To the laundry room. I needed to put my clothes in the dryer."

OOOOOOOOO

Vision wasn't alone when he arrived at the tower only minutes after Tony, Pepper and Stephen did. Wanda was with him, and both walked through the entrance from the deck to join the three at the bar, where Stark was pouring coffee.

Vision wasn't great at small talk, and as soon as Wanda declined a cup of coffee he spoke up.

"You want the Mind stone to keep Peter from sleepwalking…?"

Tony nodded.

"Right. It's already in his head, right? Why can't it tell him t go back to sleep instead of getting out of bed?"

"I tried to stop him the other night," Wanda admitted. "Not forcefully. I didn't try to impose my will on his mind. He was worried about Natasha and I tried to convince him that she was fine and didn't need him looking in on her at that time."

"It didn't work?"

"He wouldn't listen to me," she said.

"You shouldn't be able to get into his head at all," Strange said, frowning. "Wong set a protection spell on him when Loki was making his presence known in his dreams."

"It's one of my specialties," she told him, with a shrug. "Nothing can keep me out of a mind if I want in. But I can cause damage – sometimes _permanent_ – if I impose my will, and I won't do that to him."

"I'm not sure I understand how you expect to explain to the gem what you want it to do," Vision said. "As you already know, it doesn't really communicate in a way that would allow even myself to explain what you need."

"Peter made it stop sending the bad dreams," Tony reminded him. "If we can get it to listen to him again… maybe get it to tell him to stop if he starts sleepwalking."

"Would it even _recognize_ sleepwalking?" Strange asked.

"Perhaps if we were to use Peter's connection to it to communicate with it – and then if Peter allowed me in his mind maybe I could communicate with the stone directly to explain what is happening and to see if there is anything that it can do," Wanda suggested.

"Would that work?" Pepper asked.

"That's too dangerous," Vision said. "If the gem overpowered your mind, you-"

"It isn't so dangerous," she disagreed.

The discussion went on for a while longer. Vision wasn't sure that any of it would work – but then, he didn't understand why anyone would sleepwalk, really. He wasn't against the idea of trying to use the stone to help, and was willing to do whatever he could to. Mainly because _Wanda_ wanted to help.

They didn't actually come up with a plan, but Stark and Strange both assumed that the final strategy would wind up being similar to the last time Peter had connected to the stone. They'd have to wait and see, though. It wasn't something any of them were interested in rushing into.

In the meantime, Stark and Strange had other things planned for the day, and Pepper had a meeting that had been on hold until she was done with the conversation. Tony thanked Wanda and Vision both for their willingness to come to the tower, told Pepper that they'd be back shortly and then he and Stephen headed for the garage so they could go get Peter.

"You could always let the therapy sessions do the trick with the sleepwalking," Strange pointed out as they entered the elevator. "They worked last time, right?"

"Yes. And I _know_. And we _might_ ," Tony told him. "But Peter's distraught about the whole thing, and that has Pepper upset – not with him, but _for_ him. If we can do anything to nudge things the right direction, I'm all for it."

"As long as it doesn't hurt Peter."

"Right."

OOOOOOOOOOO

The cloak met them at the entrance to the sanctum when they arrived a short time later. Peter and Wong were nowhere to be seen, however.

"Everything all right?" Strange asked the cloak, well aware that it wouldn't answer him.

There didn't seem to be any urgency in its actions when it had greeted them, though, and it wasn't quick to attach itself to his collar as it might have if there were an emergency, or if Peter – or Wong – were in trouble. Instead, it drifted toward the stairs, slowly, stopping as if to make sure that they understood it wanted them to follow.

Which they did.

They followed the cloak to the sparring room and found that Wong and Peter were engaged in one of the many contests that Wong had developed to test the boy's spider senses and reflexes. The two were facing each other about twenty feet apart, and Wong was flinging attacks at Peter, alternating between magical force bolts and very physical golf balls. All tossed at him at dizzyingly dangerous speeds, and varying heights, and all of them being dodged almost easily by the boy.

Strange saw that there was a new element in the test, though. Now Wong had placed a magical shield behind Peter, which allowed both the golf balls and the force bolts to potentially ricochet back at Peter, striking him from behind. Also, Peter was using his web shooters to catch the golf balls occasionally, effectively rendering them harmless once he had one pinned.

Stark and Stephen watched from the doorway for a long moment, both men impressed with the way Peter was handling the attacks, and only when the two combatants stopped did they actually walk into the room.

"You're making that look easy, Peter," Strange said.

The boy nodded.

"It's trickier with the shield behind me, though."

"It's _supposed_ to be," Wong pointed out. "Not all attacks come from the front."

Tony wondered if this was Wong's response to the newest threat for Peter. Not necessarily the picture in the paper, but the fact that the boy had already been kidnapped once, and the magician wanted to make sure Peter was ready for any second attempt.

"That's what Natasha keeps telling me, too," Peter said.

"She's a wise woman," Wong approved.

"Are you done?" Stark asked, willing to wait if Peter was enjoying himself – which he seemed to be.

Besides, anything the boy could learn that would help keep him safe, Tony was all for – although the _first_ time he'd seen that particular drill he'd had to force himself to keep from activating his Ironman suit and stepping between Peter and the force bolts.

"Yeah."

"Good. Let's go get haircuts before we head back to the tower, okay? We'll prove to Pepper that we can clean up nicely, and maybe she'll buy us lunch."

"Sounds good."

"Stephen? Still planning to come with us?"

"Of course."

They all looked at Wong, who rolled his eyes. He didn't _need_ a haircut.

"I'll pass. Thank you."


	102. Chapter 102

On the way out the door of the sanctum Stark brought up the subject of the newspaper article.

"Did Wong show you today's paper?"

Peter nodded.

"The _adoption_ thing, you mean?"

"Right."

"Yeah."

"It's going to cause a lot of sensation," Tony told him resting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You've seen some of that already, I know – it's hard to go anywhere with me and _not_ see a crowd – but now they're going to be focusing on _you_ , and I wanted to make sure you are ready for it. As much as you can be, anyway."

"What do I _do_?"

" _Nothing_ ," Stark assured him. "They might swarm you, though, if there are enough of them and if we give them the chance. I don't want you panicking if that happens. They're not going to hurt you, but it can be scary – even if you're ready for it. Mostly they'll take pictures and shout questions at you. Don't answer any questions if you don't want to, and don't be afraid."

"Okay."

They went to the spa that Tony preferred to get their haircuts. Luckily, it was so exclusive that the security was extremely tight, and even if word got out that Tony was there with Peter (and Strange) no one would dream of allowing anyone in who wasn't a member or a client. Stark did hesitate in the waiting room when the staff came to separate them all for their treatments, but he eventually nodded and waved the boy away, well aware that he wasn't going to be able to pin himself to Peter's side every waking moment.

Besides, he didn't think Peter would appreciate being stuck in the massage room with him.

"This is why superheroes should have secret identities," Strange told him as they watched Peter walking away, flanked by the two women.

"I was famous _before_ I became Ironman," Tony pointed out.

"Not _as_ famous, though. And probably with fewer enemies."

Stark shrugged at that and smiled at the two staff members who came to collect him, while two others called on Stephen.

"Probably _more_ , really."

OOOOOOOOOO

An hour and a half later, they were back in the car and driving to the tower. When they arrived they saw that there were a few stranglers standing around just off to the side of the garage entrance with cameras, but Stark didn't stop to say hi and drove directly into the private garage, watching the door close behind him and making sure no one snuck in. Then he parked the car and the three of them headed for the elevator.

"You guys look so _good_ ," Pepper said, meeting them when they reached her office floor.

She took Peter's chin in her hand and turned his head, getting a good look at his haircut before kissing Tony and smiling a hello to Stephen.

"Good enough to eat lunch with?" Stark asked.

"I think we can probably arrange something." She put her arm around Peter as they walked to the bar. "Did you get a _massage_?"

He blushed and shook his head, well aware that the option had been there, but so uncomfortable the last time that they'd gone to the spa, that he'd completely declined when it had been mentioned. He would have been more tense during and after than he'd started.

"Peter hasn't discovered the relaxation that is a full body massage, yet," Tony told Pepper as he and Stephen followed. "He'll figure it out."

"Don't be in any hurry," Pepper told the boy. "Club sandwiches and soup, guys?"

They all nodded, and she called down to the restaurant a few levels down from them.

"Any fallout on that news article?" Stark asked, settling on one of the bar stools and watching as Peter went behind the bar itself to get himself a soda and grab cups for coffee for the adults.

She rolled her eyes.

"An avalanche of phone calls from the press wanting confirmation. Of course, you'll notice no one asked for confirmation _before_ they printed the story."

"It's the _press_ ," Tony said, shrugging, as if that meant everything – which to him, it did. "We didn't see anything at the spa."

"There are a few people hanging out here," she said. "Happy wanted to take a water canon to them, but they've been behaving fairly well, so I had to tell him to leave them alone."

"It's like how they treat _Steve_ whenever we go anywhere with him, isn't it?" Peter asked, trying to reassure Pepper and Tony that he was okay. They both seemed worried, but he couldn't understand _why_ , really. No one had run up to him and tried to question him, and he'd already been mistaken for Tony's son when he'd gone to Phoenix with the others when they'd taken the jet to drop the jumpers with the military people. It wasn't so bad, really. "They always swarm around him, trying to meet him, and get an autograph or a picture."

"It's similar, yeah," Tony agreed, glad that Peter had had some exposure to just that sort of thing, and relieved that he didn't seem freaked out by what was going on. "But Steve's an adult, and you are _not_. Hopefully they will remember that."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their lunch, and the four of them sat down at a table to eat.

"Did Tony tell you where Peter decided to go for his birthday trip, Stephen?" Pepper asked.

Strange shook his head. "No. Where did you decide on?" He asked, curiously, wondering what location a fifteen year old with pretty much any option available to him for destination chooses to go.

" _Montana_ ," Peter told him.

"Really?"

That was not what he'd expected to hear, but he was very good at keeping a straight face.

"Yeah."

"Apparently, they have houses to rent where you can spend all day in the snow, sledding and snowshoeing," Stark added, blandly enough that Strange knew Stark hadn't really expected Montana to be Peter's choice, either.

"You don't say?"

"Yeah," Peter said, looking excited enough for all of them. " _You're_ invited, too, you knew that, right?"

"I was counting on it," he told the boy, sincerely. He was well aware that _Natasha_ would be invited, as well, and that she would go no matter where he chose for his trip. "Thank you."

OOOOOOOO

"Did you see this?"

Clint and Natasha both looked up at Steve's entrance. Barton was sitting on the edge of Natasha's bed, going over some training assignments that he and Rogers would be working on later that day – without her, of course – and Natasha smiled when Jack rushed over and tried to jump up on her bed and was scooped up by Clint, who rubbed his belly.

"See what?" Romanoff asked, curiously. Steve handed her a newspaper, which was only slightly chewed up and drooled on, and she frowned. "The Secretary of State is heading to Denver?"

"Section B, Nat," Steve told her.

She opened the paper to the proper section and the frown intensified.

"Irondad, huh?"

"What?" Clint put Jack down on her bed and the puppy immediately started chewing on the other sections of the newspaper, while Barton read the headline upside down. "Seriously?"

"If we thought there was a target on his back before, it just turned brilliant neon," Natasha said, shaking her head.

"We don't know that for sure, Nat," Rogers said, rescuing the rest of the paper from Jack before he could make too much of a mess. "Tony's not someone to mess with, and Peter's not an easy target – even if they don't know what he's capable of on his own."

She didn't look convinced, but that didn't surprise either man. Natasha was trained to be suspicious – and was always wary of anything that might affect those around her. This article would certainly apply.

"We'll see."


	103. Chapter 103

"You're _sure_ you're up to this?"

Peter looked at the room filled with boxes, and nodded. He wouldn't be if he were _alone_ , but he had the bolstering of Tony as well as Dr. Strange, and was a lot more confident because of it.

"Yeah." He pointed to the stack of boxes in the far corner. "I made a good dent in it last time. Before…." He trailed off, shrugging.

Before he'd become so overwhelmed that he'd broken down and started bawling like a baby. He didn't say that, though, and knew that he didn't need to.

Tony nodded, and held up the empty box that Pepper had sent down with him, and gestured at the one that Strange was carrying as well.

"So let's make this easy. Stephen and I will look through the boxes that you haven't managed to get through. If it's women's clothes, or dishes, or cookware, we will assume you do not want them. If it's something a bit more ambiguous, we'll hold it up and ask you. If you want to keep it, it goes in this box for safe keeping. If you want it _immediately_ – for your bedroom here, or for the quarters in the compound, it goes into Stephen's box. Sound like a plan?"

It meant that they were doing a lot more of the work than Peter was, which he didn't think was fair, but it would make things go a lot faster, he knew, and that would keep from tying them up all afternoon. He nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"We should ask," Strange said, setting his empty box down on the table and looking at the unopened ones. "Do you know if there are any family heirlooms in the cooking items? Special dishes, or plates with a monogram, things like that?"

Peter shook his head.

"May never pointed anything out."

"Good." Tony gestured at the small pile of items that Peter had separated as keepers the last time he'd been in the room. "You decide which boxes you want _those_ things to go into, and we'll get started. Okay?"

"Yeah."

OOOOOOO

It went _faster_ , and it was easier on Peter to have them doing the actual sorting, but it still wasn't painless to wade through all of the remaining items from the apartment. They still showed him anything that they thought he might be interested in keeping, and everything had a memory of some kind attached to it. He'd reach for it to sort it into the appropriate box on the table if it was something that he wanted to keep, and that particular memory would flood his entire being – until the next item was handed to him.

By the time they had sorted all the boxes, Peter was on the edge of becoming an emotional wreck once more, and Stephen wasn't far behind. Especially when they'd started looking through the pictures that Peter hadn't made it through the first time he'd been there.

The doctor was surprised by how many memories he'd made with May and Peter in only the relatively short time he'd known the little family, but they were there. Usually in color, but some in black and white. There were photos taken by Peter, Stephen and Tony on the camping trip, photos of the puppy therapy place when May had gone with the Avengers, Peter and Strange, and even a few that he hadn't seen before – most likely taken by Ned or Peter and given to May at a later date.

A small, framed photo of himself and May at one of Tony's infamous Monday barbeques at the compound had brought him up short. He, looking unimpressed by the copious amounts of food available, and May, clearly amused, and trying to convince him that the potato salad wasn't going to give anyone e coli.

"Can I keep this one?" he'd asked the boy, his voice steady, but only _barely_.

"Yeah."

Peter had the original on his phone, and he understood why Dr. Strange would like that one. It was a photo that showed May at her best, as far as Peter was concerned. Her smile filled with laughter, and a gleam of good humor in her eyes. He'd felt a lump in his throat that took a minute to clear.

The items that he kept wasn't even close to being enough to fill the two boxes that were on the table. He'd kept any jewelry of May's. Not because he wanted any of it – except for the pendant that Thor had given her for her birthday – but because Tony had suggested that it was something that if he ever ended up having kids of his own – a _daughter_ , specifically – that it might be something he'd want to pass onto her.

The rest were a few items that May had treasured – even though he didn't always know why – a couple of books, including a family bible that he hadn't seen before, but that promised to be interesting to look through some day – the back was filled with handwritten notations of birthdates and death dates of names of people he had never heard of, for the most part, and there were some old-looking photos inserted between many of the pages. It wasn't something anyone else would probably be interested in, but was something that Peter could look at and see where he'd come from, and might one day pass on to a child of his own.

"We'll have these taped back up and delivered with the furniture to that battered women's shelter," Tony said, wiping his hands on his pants once they had finished. "We'll have to wait to go through your bedroom stuff, though. It's getting late."

Peter nodded his agreement, and looked at the stacks of boxes that held everything that symbolized the life that he'd had with May. Things that he'd seen every day for so many years that they and had been so familiar to him. Like old friends, almost. Things that he would never see again, because _that_ life was done, now. Gone along with May, herself. His new life wouldn't need those things – with the exception of the contents of the two boxes on the table – and he knew he had to move on.

It _hurt_ , though. That same achingly empty spot that had been May's spot echoed within him, and he felt the sting of tears as he looked at all the stuff that had been hers. He bit his lower lip before it could begin to tremble, hoping that they hadn't noticed, and looked down at his hands.

Tony put an arm around him, and pulled the boy's head down to his shoulder, understanding completely.

"She was a remarkable woman, Peter," he reminded the boy. "Missing her is nothing to be ashamed of, you know?"

Peter nodded, mutely, and buried his face against Tony's neck, needing the support that he was offering. Stephen ruffled the boy's hair, tenderly for a moment before looking at Stark.

"I'm going to head back to the sanctum," he said. "Do you need anything?"

"No," Tony was pretty sure that they were done for the day. "We're good. Come by the compound later, if you want."

"I will."

"Thanks, Dr. Strange," Peter said, turning his head but not leaving Tony's embrace just yet. "I appreciate the help."

"You're welcome. I'll see you later, okay?"

The doctor picked up his photo from the table where it had been sitting with the other keepers, and vanished.

Stark held Peter for another long moment, giving him whatever time he needed to pull himself together, and only let him go when Peter pulled away. The boy's eyes were red and wet, and Tony wasn't immune to the sorrow he saw in Peter's expression.

"Let's go see if Pepper's ready to go home, okay?"

"Yeah."

OOOOOOO

They stopped at Peter's rooms in the tower and set the two boxes there for safekeeping before heading for Pepper's office. By the time they got off the elevator, Peter was better in control of his emotions, and was able to greet her with a semblance of a smile. She must have seen something in his expression that told her how rough his afternoon had been, though – or maybe she just remembered how rough the last one had been – because her own greeting was a long hug, and a tender kiss pressed against his temple when she finally let him go.

"Are you ready?" Tony asked.

"Yes." Even if she wasn't, she would have called it a day. "Where's Stephen?"

"He left the easy way," Stark told her, waving his fingers like he always did when he was referencing anything to do with magic – even though Strange only rarely actually made gestures when doing magic. "We'll probably see him later at the compound."

"Are you guys ready to eat, now, or do you want to wait until we get back?"

Stark looked at Peter, but he didn't need an answer from the boy. He shook his head.

"Let's wait until we get home. It was a tough afternoon."

Neither of them mentioned that technically the tower _was_ home. Their home right then was wherever Peter needed it to be, and at the moment, that meant the Avenger's facility.


	104. Chapter 104

There were considerably more people with cameras waiting outside the tower when they left, but Tony didn't stop the car to talk to any of them, or to allow any of them to do more than shout a few questions as they drove out of the garage. Peter was just a little awed by the obvious show of interest, but was somewhat numb from his emotional afternoon, and simply watched while the small crowd dwindled as Tony drove them away from the tower. Then he settled in the backseat of the car, his cheek against the glass, listening while Pepper and Stark discussed her day, but not contributing to the conversation. He was still a little raw, and recognized that he was better company inside his own head just then.

Looking back to ask him what he wanted for dinner once they'd left the city, Pepper smiled when she discovered that he'd fallen asleep without any help from soft music or the car's heater. She nudged Tony and moved her head just a little towards the backseat, and he nodded when he looked into the rearview mirror and saw the boy was asleep. He wasn't surprised, really.

"He had a tough day."

"Did you guys finish?"

"Everything but his bedroom," Stark confirmed. "We'll find a time to do that this week, if we can. I know he wants his D&D stuff, and I was thinking I'd draw up a new campaign for the weekend, if they were interested."

" _Nerd_."

Tony just smiled at that. He took Pepper's hand and put it on his leg, covering it with his own as he normally did when they drove anywhere together.

OOOOOOOO

"If you wake up and save me the trouble of carrying you to bed, I'll have Pepper buy you a pony for your birthday…"

Peter opened his eyes, sleepily, and turned his head to look at Stark, confused.

"What?"

Tony grinned over at Pepper.

"You owe him a pony, now."

"He's a little old for a pony," she pointed out, shaking her head, amused. "Are you awake?" she asked the boy.

Peter nodded, and sat more upright, rubbing his face, and looking around. They were in the garage of the compound. He'd slept the whole way back.

"Yeah."

"Are you hungry? Or do you want to finish your nap and eat later?"

"No. I'm okay. Do I have time to go check on Natasha, first?"

She nodded, and Tony got out of the car and went around to open her door for her.

"Just come meet us in the lounge when you're ready."

"Okay." He got out of the car, too, and looked over the top of the car at the two of them. "Thank you."

"Don't be _too_ long," Stark told him with a wink. He understood what Peter was thanking him for, but he didn't want to make a big deal of it right then. "I'm _hungry_."

"Yeah."

He was, too.

OOOOOOO

Natasha was dozing when Peter went to check on her, but she opened her eyes when he walked over to her bed and tucked her blankets up around her.

"You're home?"

He smiled, chagrined that he'd woke her, but pleased to see that she didn't wince when she shifted in her bed to turn toward him.

"Yeah. Did you have a good day?"

"Slept all day," she told him.

He brushed his palm against her forehead and cheek.

"Did you eat?"

"Yes, dad."

Which made him smile.

"Need anything?"

"Not right now." She caught his hand with her own, and held it. Then smiled. "You got your haircut."

"Yeah."

"You look very handsome."

Peter blushed, and smiled because he knew that she was _trying_ to make him blush – and it worked every time.

"Thanks."

"Did you get everything done?"

"We didn't get my bedroom stuff, yet, but Tony and Dr. Strange helped me get through all the apartment stuff. So that's finished."

And a load off his shoulders.

"Good. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He didn't need to tell her he'd almost lost it in the room. She could probably figure it out without him telling her anything. "I'm going to go eat. Are you sure you don't need anything?"

"A kiss?"

He leaned over without hesitation and brushed a kiss against her cheek, which made her smile. She could call him handsome and he'd turn crimson. A kiss on the cheek? No problem. He was such a conundrum sometimes.

"Call if you need anything, okay?" he told her.

"I will."

She closed her eyes, and he left her to resume her nap.

OOOOOOOO

Pepper and Tony weren't in the lounge, yet, when Peter arrived. He didn't mind waiting, though. He got a soda from the bartender and chatted with her while he waited for them. The bartender and Peter were continuing a conversation that they'd been having over the past few days. Her finally able to prove to the boy that there really was a guide to pink elephants that showed how to make almost every popular mixed drink. She hadn't actually had the book, since she didn't need it, but she'd ordered it and was showing the book to Peter and pointing out the most popular ones when Tony and Pepper joined them.

"What are you looking at?" Pepper asked, curiously, bringing an arm around him, idly.

"Deena's teaching me how to make a Martini," Peter told her.

"How to make one, not how to _drink_ it," the bartender clarified with a smile.

"An important skill to master," Tony said, taking the tome from her with a grin. "I remember this book. It was practically required reading in college."

Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Why am I not surprised?"

The bartender told them that their dinner was almost ready, and the three went to their usual corner table.

"You checked on Natasha?" Stark asked, still flipping through the book.

"Yeah. She's fine. Said she was going to go back to sleep."

"Good."

"So," Pepper said, reaching over and taking the Pink Elephant book away from Stark. "Now that we know where you want to go for your birthday, let's discuss what you might _want_ for your birthday."

He frowned.

"Isn't the _trip_ my present?"

"The _trip_ is because it's your 16th birthday and it needs to be _special_ ," Stark clarified. "You can't wake up on your birthday and not have a present, though. That would be like waking up on Christmas and not having anything waiting for you under the tree."

"I don't need anything," Peter told them, honestly, well aware that he had everything anyone could need – and then some. "The trip is good enough."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Not something you _need_ ," he said. "I'm not buying you socks for your birthday. Something _frivolous_. Or something you always _wanted_ , but never really thought you could have. Or _should_ have."

Peter shrugged, thinking sadly back to one of his last conversations with May. She'd asked him the same thing. What could she give him that he didn't already have, but he had always wanted? He'd told her the truth when he had said he didn't need anything, and couldn't think of anything that he wanted that she hadn't already provided him.

"I can't think of anything," he said. "Before, I might have said a car, but that's taken care of, now, obviously."

"Think about it, okay?" Pepper suggested. "Otherwise, we'll just guess – and if that happens, you might end up with a crock pot."

Stark looked offended.

"I told you, that crock pot had a _timer feature_. They don't _all_ have one, you know?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, and Peter smiled.

"Try to think of something, okay? Ask Ned, even."

"I will."

"Thank you."


	105. Chapter 105

Strange joined them at the compound a short time after they had finished eating. The Cloak of Levitation came whisking into the lounge and immediately found Peter and wrapped itself around him, happily. There was a bit of a pause before Stephen showed up and Peter wasn't the only one to smile when the doctor brought Natasha in, and then carried her over to a sofa and bundled her in blankets.

She was clearly just as pleased to be out of bed as they were to see her, and Stark pulled a table over to the sofa so she could be included in the discussion of what they wanted to do that evening. They were joined almost immediately by Clint, who said Steve would be coming, too, but at the moment he was cleaning up a mess that Jack had made in the commissary.

Peter would have been alright with them pairing off and playing cards – he had books to read for school, after all – but the adults weren't willing to leave him out of the evening entertainment. There were several board games in the lounge and although _Trivial Pursuit_ was off the table due to Peter's connection with the instant answers the Mind stone would supply him, there were plenty of other games that they could play. Since it was more or less Natasha's night, they deferred to her and the group ended up playing Scattagories, which turned out to be a good choice for such a cerebral group.

"So what kind of fallout did you see at the tower today from the _Irondad_ article?" Clint asked, curiously, as they set the board up.

"There was a bit of a crowd this afternoon," Tony said, shrugging. "The press – and the paparazzi – are well aware that the tower is off limits and well guarded. Pepper fielded a fair number of calls for confirmation, but we didn't have any trouble with any of it."

"Is that why you all got haircuts?" Natasha asked, blandly, although her expression was amused. "To look good for the press?"

"We got haircuts because Pepper _made_ us," Stark corrected. "Well, no. She made _me_ , and I made Peter come with me to keep me company. I imagine that Stephen just didn't want us to look better than he did, and that's why _he_ opted to join us."

"How is the security here?" Strange asked, curiously. "Peter won't need to worry about someone trying to get an exclusive interview by sneaking in through his bedroom window, I assume?"

"They'd be insane to try," Clint said. He winked at Peter. "No interview – not even one with _Tony Stark's_ boy – would be worth the risk involved."

Peter shook his head. It was a lot of hassle, but he was aware this time that none of the fuss was his fault. It helped, though, that the others were more amused than anything by the article – even though he knew that Tony was worried about how he, himself, would react if he was confronted by a crowd of people trying to get an interview with him.

"You spoke with him about watching his back?" Natasha asked Tony.

" _Wong_ did," Peter said, speaking up. "He said that I'm a target for everyone who might try to kidnap me – which I already knew – _and_ for people who hate Tony for being Ironman."

"He did?" Stark asked.

Peter nodded.

"He told me to watch my back, and to pay attention to my spider senses – and said that if he had _his_ way, I'd be staying in the sanctum for safekeeping."

"And then he started drilling you on avoiding attacks from behind," Strange said, realizing the reason, now, behind the new addition to Wong's session with Peter.

"First we experimented with that teleportation stone," Peter corrected. " _Then_ he started drilling me about dodging attacks from behind, yeah."

"Are you okay?" Stark asked the boy.

"Yeah." Peter shrugged. "I mean, I already _knew_ I was a target. Ned figured it out even before those London magicians came after me, but really, I kind of already _was_ a target, just being Spiderman, you know?"

"But you're a lot more public, now," Tony reminded him. "So you do what Wong said, and watch your back."

"I will."

" _We'll_ watch it, too," Clint added.

"Absolutely," Natasha agreed with a smile.

The conversation switched to much lighter topics, then, as they started playing, and a lot of friendly arguments as the game progressed. Peter had a good time with those around him, and when Strange finally called it a night – saying that Natasha was to get back to bed so they didn't wear her out – he was pretty relaxed and over the worst of the emotional turmoil of the afternoon's sorting. They watched as Strange picked Romanoff up into his arms and vanished – presumably taking her to her rooms – and Clint and Steve both said good night as well.

"Walk us to our quarters, Peter?" Pepper asked, getting up, too.

"Sure."

With them flanking him, and the cloak wrapped around his neck and shoulders humming cheerfully into his mind, Peter walked with them toward their rooms.

"What do you think about going to the tower to sort through the things from your room tomorrow?" Stark aske. "Or do you need a break from it?"

"No." Peter shook his head. "I can do that. It shouldn't be so bad going through my own stuff – and won't take too long, I think."

"I was telling Pepper that I was thinking about creating a D&D campaign for this weekend if you think Ned would be interested? We could probably talk Stephen into it – and maybe the girls, if they're willing. So you'll want to get your D&D stuff, at least."

"And make sure you see if _MJ_ wants to come," Pepper reminded him. "If her parents are willing, we can put her up overnight in one of the VIP rooms."

Peter nodded, blushing even though he didn't know why.

"I'll call her tonight."

"Good." They stopped at the door to their quarters. "Let me know what you find out."

"Okay."

"Don't stay up too late," Tony warned him. "We're going to leave early."

He smiled.

"I won't."

OOOOOOOO

"How do you feel?"

"I'm _fine_."

"No pain?"

"A little. But not too much."

"You're sure?"

Romanoff smiled, and shook her head.

"Yes. Now stop nagging."

"I'm not nagging," Strange told her, tucking her blankets warmly around her, and then brushing a very tender kiss against her forehead. "I'm _doctoring_. This is what we doctors do with our patients."

She raised an eyebrow at that.

" _All_ of your patients?"

"Just the sexy ones."

Romanoff rolled her eyes, well aware that days in bed had not given her much of a chance to be very sexy. She was looking forward to an actual shower, soon, that was for sure.

"You'll be by tomorrow?"

"Definitely." Another kiss, and he pulled away, regretfully. "I'd better go find my cloak and get home. Good night."

"Good night."

OOOOOOOOO

Pepper roused when Stark joined her in their bed much, much, later.

"Who found him?"

"Steve."

"Where was he?"

"In the lounge." He pulled her into his arms, and smiled, amused. "We're now officially out of gin and vermouth."

She turned to him, surprised.

"He was _drinking_?"

"No. He was making martinis. A _lot_ of martinis. Steve said they were lined up all along the bar."

"Well, he should be an expert by now, then. We know who to hire for our next cocktail party…"

Stark nodded, and turned the light off. Pepper cuddled up against him, listening to his heartbeat and already falling asleep, again. After a long pause in the darkened room, he spoke again.

"Pepper?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why _couldn't_ I adopt Peter?"

"What?"

"What's to stop me from adopting him? Making it _official_?"

"Have you spoken to him about it?"

"No."

She kissed his neck.

"That should be the first step, then," Pepper told him, not even opening her eyes. "If he's interested, let me know and I'll contact the lawyers."

"You'd be okay with it?"

"Does it mean I'd get a Mother's Day present?"

"I don't see why not…"

"Talk to him. See what he says."

"Okay."

She eventually fell asleep, but Stark lay awake for a long time.


	106. Chapter 106

Peter frowned at Stark's reflection in the rearview mirror.

"I was _what_?"

"Making martinis, Steve said."

"Did he ask me why?"

"He said you told him that you were practicing."

Pepper smiled at the boy's confused expression.

"You're not secretly planning on having some kind of crazy _party_ , are you?"

"Not that I know of," he said, honestly. "Did I give him a hard time about going back to bed?"

"He said you went right back to your room when he suggested it."

Well _that_ was a start.

"Did you talk to MJ last night?" Pepper asked, changing the subject.

He nodded.

"She said she'd like to come this weekend – she'll ask her mom and dad if it can be overnight, but said they'll definitely want to discuss sleeping arrangements with you guys."

"I'll call them today. Did you mention the Montana trip?"

"Yeah. She's in – if her parents say yes. _She's_ never been there, either."

"Has she been to the _Riviera_?" Tony asked.

"I don't know."

Pepper smiled at that.

"So I won't surprise them if I mention it?"

"She said she'd ask." He replied. "They should know about it."

"I'll bring Ned and MJ back with me on Friday afternoon, then."

Peter nodded, leaning back in his seat.

He and Tony would clear out the boxes from his old room, and then they'd be going back to the compound. Peter had homework to work on and he liked the fact that he was more or less caught up and wasn't stressing out, so he wanted to keep it that way. He had several books to read and papers to write to keep him busy, but they would take time and weren't something that could be rushed through.

Luckily, Tony was all for doing whatever was needed to keep Peter on schedule with his homework. He approved of the fact that the boy was a bit more relaxed about the homework situation now that he was more or less caught up, and wanted to keep it that way. He also knew that they needed to get done with everything to do with the old apartment – to give Peter the feeling of closure that was just as important.

OOOOOOOOO

The crowd was a little bigger than the day before.

"The natives are getting restless," Pepper murmured as they pulled up to the garage entrance and Tony navigated through the crowd of people holding cameras and shouting questions that were muffled by the windows of the car. He made a vague waving gesture to a couple of people he recognized, but didn't roll the window down to talk to anyone.

"They're not used to the silent treatment."

Tony was, after all, quite open with the press and more than willing to hold press conferences when something interesting was going on. When it came to _Peter_ , however, he was being a bit more conservative, and the press wasn't good at being ignored. He watched in the rearview mirror as the boy took in the crowd, and was relieved that he didn't see any overt sign of panic in Peter's expression. A bit of awe, yes, but that was to be expected.

The garage door closed behind the sedan and Stark parked the car in Pepper's spot. Peter got out and ran his hand over the sign that guarded his own parking space while he waited for Tony to open Pepper's door for her. It was only a sign, yes, and hardly anyone could see it in the private garage, but it meant so much to him.

"You'll come see me before you guys head back?" Pepper asked, smiling when she realized what Peter was doing and walking over to him to rest a hand on his arm, affectionately.

Tony nodded.

"We probably won't take too long. Peter isn't the materialistic aberration that I am. We'll figure out what goes to the compound and what stays in his room here, and then box up anything he doesn't want."

"Good." She brushed her fingers against Peter's cheek. "Let me know if you need anything."

"You could help carry the _boxes_ ," Stark told her. "They'll probably be too heavy for us to tote around."

Peter chuckled at that, and Pepper rolled her eyes, amused.

"Come see me before you leave," she repeated, and headed for her elevator.

OOOOOOOO

"That's it?"

Peter nodded.

"I think so."

There wasn't a ton of stuff. Mostly clothes, which Peter and Stark put into the boxes that would stay at the tower. The boy had plenty of clothes at the compound, after all. There were also some posters, a lot of electronics – almost all of which were boxed to be sent away. Living with Tony Stark, Peter was well aware that the retro tech he had been using was going to be obsolete in the midst of the crazy high tech equipment that dominated his quarters in the tower.

In the box to be taken with them to the compound was Peter's laptop, a couple of posters, his D&D things and some little stuff – figurines and pictures, mostly. This one was carried down to the car and put into the trunk. The other boxes went to Peter's room and the clothing put away in the dresser or hung in the closet to avoid needing to do it later.

"We're going to need to go shopping for warmer clothes if we're going to Montana," Stark told him as they headed for the elevator to go see what Pepper was up to. "I didn't see any kind of snow clothes in your things, and I know Pepper and I don't have any."

"Yeah, I don't have much for snow."

"We'll let _Pepper_ figure out what we need," Tony assured him. "She's more organized than I am."

" _And_ she likes shopping."

Peter knew that from when she and Natasha had taken him to get his suit for May's funeral.

"True."

OOOOOOO

They checked in with Pepper, who was getting ready to make a conference call, but held off long enough let Peter know that she'd spoken with MJ's mother and had obtained permission for the girl to spend the weekend at the compound. She told them that they would discuss it more when she returned to the compound that evening, and waved them out of her office, telling them to drive safe and reminding Peter to do his homework.

Stark was quiet as they pulled out of the garage, but Peter didn't notice right away. He was watching the crowd of people – mostly the same as the ones that were out there earlier, just waiting.

"They'll just wait there?" Peter asked Tony, fascinated, and turning to watch them as Stark drove away from the tower.

"They want to be the first to break a story," Stark said, nodding. "A big story could be worth a fortune – or a raise, or a promotion. So, yeah, all week, if they are given the chance."

"Wow."

"They can get a little crazy, though," Stark told him. "Trying to get the scoop on the others. Some can be unethical – and more than a little pushy. We're trying to cushion you from that as much as we can, but with the adoption story out there, the first person who can go on record saying they have confirmation is going to make a name for themselves, so they might get desperate."

"But it's not _true_."

"They think it is, though."

He fell silent, and Peter settled into his seat, shaking his head, but being quiet to allow Tony to concentrate on the traffic that was all around them. Now that he was going to be driving, soon, he was more aware of the cars around them and the flow of traffic, imagining himself in his father's car navigating these same streets – although Tony did it with a calm competence that Peter was fairly certain he'd never be able to match.

"I need to talk to you about something," Stark said, once they left the heavy traffic of the city and he'd turned the car onto the state highway that would take them to the compound. "It's a bit serious, so I want you to _think_ about it, okay?"

Peter turned to look at him, and recognized the set of Stark's jaw that told him whatever they were going to be discussing was important.

"Is this another _sex_ talk?" he asked. "Because the VIP rooms are _way_ on the other side of the compound, and I won't go near them, I promise."

Tony frowned, confused, and then smiled when he realized what Peter was talking about. He shook his head.

"No. This has nothing to do with MJ – or any other girl, for that matter."

"Oh."

"You know I love you."

"Yeah."

"Okay."

Now it was Peter's turn to frown. He had a feeling that there was more coming, but couldn't figure out where the conversation was going – and Tony's simple question didn't help give him any clues.

"But…?"

"No buts," Stark said. "I _do_. I'm just wondering what you'd think if I wanted to change the dynamic of my guardianship."

"Of _me_?"

"Yeah."

"What do you mean?" Peter asked. "Is there more than one kind?"

"Well, there's _guardian_ , like I am now… or there's legal parent. Not the same as _biological_ parent, of course, but the next best thing – and the closest I can be to you. _For you_."

Peter stared at him, uncertain that he was understanding what he was being told.

"You want to _adopt_ me?"

"I was thinking about it, yeah. Depending on what _you_ think, of course."

"I'm too old to be adopted. That's for _babies_."

Tony smiled.

"No. You're never too old to be included into a family that wants you – and I _do_ want you. I want you to be more than just my _ward_. I love you like a son, not just like a ward. It's a big commitment from you, though, and not something to do without thinking it out. _I've_ thought about it – and the only thing that would have stopped me was the fact that I didn't want you to have to face the media frenzy that would come with the announcement. Since _they_ already think that I've adopted you, there's going to be a frenzy no matter what. So there's no reason for me not to bring it up with you."

"Oh."

"Don't answer right now, okay?" Tony said, glancing over at him. "Think about it. Like I said, it's a commitment from you, too. I'm not easy to put up with, you know?"

"Does Pepper know?"

"That I want to adopt you? Or that I'm not easy to put up with?"

Peter smiled.

"Both."

"Yeah, she does."

"Peter _Stark_?"

Tony shrugged.

"Or Peter _Parker_. It doesn't have to change. Both are fine names. Married people don't always share the same last name. No reason you'd have to give up your last name. It's a part of you, after all. Part of what makes you special."

"You _really_ want me?"

"You doubt that?"

Peter smiled, and shook his head.

"No."

He couldn't doubt it.

"Think about it, all right?" Tony said, again. "It's a serious decision to make, and I don't want you to feel pressured into it, but I wanted to make sure you understood how I felt."

"Okay."

He turned his head and looked out the window, his expression unreadable as he replayed their conversation in his head, over and over. Absently, his hand came up to rest on Stark's shoulder, as if he needed the contact – which was something that Peter _did_ need – but he didn't say anything during the drive back to the compound.

Tony didn't mind.


	107. Chapter 107

Natasha was sitting on the sofa in her living room, reading Peter's book and just relieved to be sitting upright and out of bed when Peter peeked into the door. She was bundled in blankets and smiled over at him when he tapped on the doorframe to get her attention.

"Busy?" he asked.

She shook her head, setting the book aside and patted the spot beside her.

"Come in, sweetheart."

He did, and he settled beside her, but he surprised her when he put his head in her lap and laid down with his face pressed against her hip, obviously needing comfort, but not necessarily needing to be _held_.

Romanoff ran her fingers through his hair.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"Nothing."

Peter closed his eyes.

"Are you _sure_?"

He nodded.

"I was talking with Tony on our way back from sorting out the stuff in my old room just now."

"Did he say something to hurt your feelings?"

It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened, of course, but Stark wasn't the ass that he once had been, and especially with Peter, there was no way he'd have gone out of his way to hurt the boy.

"No." Peter turned his head to look up at her. "He told me that he wants to adopt me."

She couldn't have been more surprised if Peter had asked her to marry him.

"He _did_?"

"Yeah."

"And…?"

"And he told me to think about it. He didn't want an answer, yet."

"It's not something to decide on the spur of the moment," Natasha agreed.

"I didn't know you could adopt _teenagers_ ," Peter told her. "I thought it was just something you did with babies."

"No. It's definitely not just for babies." She smiled, and brushed her fingers against his cheek. "It's for anyone who wants to be a parent to someone they didn't have biologically."

"That's what Tony said."

"He really loves you."

The boy smiled at that, and then hesitated.

"It's okay that I love him, too, right? You don't think my dad would be mad?"

She understood immediately what he was asking, and it was a wonder to her that she, of all people, would ever be close enough to _anyone_ to have this conversation with. It was heartwarming that he came to her with his insecurities and she felt the weight of responsibility that came with making sure he was able to think his way through the idea.

"Your dad loved you."

"I know."

They _both_ knew. They'd seen it on the video he'd made for Peter.

"Do you think your dad would have been upset that you loved _May_? That when he was gone, she was someone that you could go to when you were sad, or lonely, or even afraid?"

"No."

"I don't, either. He would want you to have someone who cared for you the way he would have, if he hadn't been killed when you were young."

"Like May did."

"Right. And now that she's gone, I imagine that he'd be happy that you have someone like Tony to step into that role. Someone to love you – and someone you can love. A role model, even, to help you finish growing up into the kind of man your dad would have wanted you to be."

He smiled at that, although she saw a tear trickle down his cheek and into the blanket that was draped over her lap.

"I wish he could have known Tony. _And_ you."

She bent over, ignoring the ache of her half-healed ribs when she did so, and kissed his temple.

"So do I, Peter."

He was silent, then, closing his eyes and just holding her leg – which was the only part of her that he could touch in the position he was in. Natasha knew he wasn't sleeping, and she caressed his shoulder, giving him the support that he needed. She picked up the book again, well aware that when he was ready, he'd continue their conversation – or he had what he needed from the conversation, and would just be content to be with her.

OOOOOOOOO

"Are you _supposed_ to be out of bed?"

Natasha looked up from the book she was reading and almost automatically tightened the hold she had on Peter's shoulder. He didn't turn his head, but she knew he was awake, still. She smiled at Clint.

"The doctors say as long as I'm not running marathons I'm okay to be upright for a while."

He walked across the room and flopped down on top of Peter, who made a whoofing noise as Barton's weight pushed him into the cushions of the sofa.

"Are you making her do your homework, Peter?" Clint asked, wriggling a little so that he was between Peter and the back of the sofa, his own head resting against Natasha's side.

The boy was in danger of being pushed off the couch, so he rolled up onto Clint, trying to trade spots, and Romanoff rolled her eyes and set the book aside, well aware that there was no way she was going to be able to read while those two were in the same room with each other.

"If I get pushed off this sofa someone is in for a world of hurt," she warned them both.

Clint looked up at her, his eyes amused, and Peter's hair in one hand. For his part, Peter had an arm around Barton's neck and shoulder, trying to get enough leverage to push him away without losing a handful of hair in the process.

"Hear that, tubby?" Clint said to Peter, trying to get a hand under the boy to roll him over and off the sofa. "Natasha says you have to get off me."

"That's not what she said," Peter told him, still struggling. "She said that if you hurt me, she'll make you eat that book she's reading."

A moment later they both rolled over and off the couch, landing on the edge of the coffee table, immediately overturning it and spilling a pitcher of water and bowl of pretzels onto the two combatants, who ignored the water that was now soaking both of them and the pretzels that were being crushed under them.

"Guys…" she wasn't even bothering to try and hide her amusement, and she was glad that Barton had shown up, since a distraction was exactly what Peter needed – and Clint was a very good distraction for the boy. "Who's going to clean this up?"

"The _loser_ ," Barton said, rolling over on top of Peter, pinning him under himself – and a piece of the coffee table.

"You're not _that_ bad," Peter told him, a little breathless since Clint's elbow was in his stomach. "A _gimp_ , maybe, but not a loser."

He struggled again, wriggling out from underneath the coffee table just as he felt a tingle of magical energy and felt the heavy fabric of the Cloak of Levitation wrap around Barton's hand and his own head and shoulders.

"You've got to be kidding me…" the cultured voice of Stephen Strange cut into the sounds of the struggle, and both looked up, Peter twisting his head just a little to try and see over the cloak.

Sure enough, Strange was walking into the room. Yet again catching Barton and Peter wrestling.

"He started it," Clint said, automatically.

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" Strange asked, leaning over the back of the couch and brushing a hand against Natasha's cheek by way of greeting while still looking at the two on the floor.

"Because I'm sweet and innocent," Peter told him.

"I find that less and less believable."

"Nat, tell your boyfriend to make Peter stop picking on me."

"I was minding my own business," Peter objected. " _Arrow_ guy here decided to horn in on my spot."

She was laughing by now, holding a hand against those sensitive ribs of hers, but thoroughly enjoying the show.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing homework this time of day?" Strange asked Peter.

"Yeah. Kind of."

The doctor looked at Barton.

"You?"

"I'm done with _my_ homework. It's recess time."

He dumped the little bit of water still in the pitcher over Peter's head, causing the boy to begin struggling under his weight once more, and Strange rolled his eyes and looked at Natasha.

"Are you ready for dinner?"

"I could eat."

"Are you guys ready to eat?"

Peter shook his head.

"I'll eat with Pepper and Tony when she gets back."

Clint got to his feet, untangling himself from the cloak and from Peter.

"I'll keep you guys company."

He and Peter righted the coffee table and did their best to pick up the pretzels that weren't so badly crushed by their wrestling match, then Peter excused himself and left, looking far less uncertain of himself than he had when he'd joined Natasha earlier. Romanoff smiled at Barton and Strange.

"What's for dinner?"

Natasha smiled.

"What are you hungry for, Arrow guy?"


	108. Chapter 108

Peter stopped to get a book from his room before he went to the lounge, assuming that eventually that was where Tony and Pepper would end up when they were ready to eat. There weren't many people there when he arrived and none that he knew well enough to chat with. Instead, he settled himself on one of the sofas with his book, figuring that since he hadn't actually worked on any homework that day, getting started on the book would be an accomplishment of sorts. The cloak had accompanied him, and draped itself over his back, crooning happily in his mind, which was a bit of a distraction when trying to read – but it was hard to be annoyed by anything that was so happy just to spend time with him.

He liked to read, so it really wasn't homework to him – as long as the book was somewhat interesting – and the new book was. He was sprawled on the sofa, belly down and his head on a cushion with the book resting on the floor when he was warned that he wasn't alone a few moments before a very frisky brown little body came rushing up and immediately started trying to steal the book from him.

Peter smiled and jerked the book away before Jack could do more than sink his sharp little teeth into one corner of it, and he scooped the puppy up into his arms and sat up, rubbing his belly and teasing him by grabbing his nose and shaking it, gently.

"Where's your daddy at, big man?" he crooned. "And does he know that you're out _terrorizing_ people?"

Jack's tail thumped cheerfully against Peter's side, and the cloak was not impressed since the puppy was also hitting it with that furiously wagging tail. It grumbled in Peter's mind, clearly not amused when the puppy would lunge for it every time the thing moved, triggering Jack's very well developed prey drive. Finally, the cloak simply hovered just out of the puppy's reach, obviously realizing that zapping Jack wouldn't be okay with Peter, and that nothing short of that would stop the rambunctious puppy from trying to chew on it.

"Are you puppy sitting, or cloak sitting?" Pepper asked, walking over and smiling at the sight of a proven deadly magical artifact being stymied by a twelve week old puppy.

Peter shrugged, moving his head when Jack tried to lick his chin.

"Both, I think. But only one is going to pee on me if he gets too excited."

She sat down beside him and risked a hug before Jack tried to steal her attention from Peter for himself.

"Did you have a good day?" she asked Peter, sifting her fingers through his hair – which was messy, either from playing with the puppy, or from the attentions of the cloak.

"Yeah. You?"

He wanted to mention the talk that he'd had with Tony, but wasn't sure how to bring it up, and wasn't sure that Tony would want him to – even though he'd told Peter that Pepper knew about the adoption thing.

"Uneventful. The VR prototypes will be in my office tomorrow. I hope you and your friends are going to leave some free time for trying them out this weekend."

"Definitely."

He didn't know about MJ, but Ned was already excited. Before he could say more than that, though, Steve and Tony walked into the lounge, and both of them smiled when they headed for the sofa – for different reasons.

"There's my boy!" Steve said, lovingly, and suddenly Peter had his hands filled with a wriggling puppy who couldn't get to Rogers fast enough.

He handed Jack over with a grin, and felt a cheerful smugness that he realized was coming from the Cloak of Levitation as the relic swooped down to settle back on his shoulders.

"Strange is here?" Tony asked, looking at the cloak.

"He's with Natasha," Peter confirmed. "They were going to eat."

"We should, too," Stark said, pulling Peter to his feet with one hand, and Pepper with the other. "Are you guys ready?"

"Yeah."

He didn't mention the adoption thing, and Peter decided that maybe Tony wanted to make sure he had as much time as he needed to decide, and wasn't going to bring it up until Peter did, maybe to keep him from feeling pressured. Instead, he put one arm around Pepper and the other over Peter's shoulder and walked them both to the corner table.

The meal was filled with conversation about Montana, and the very real need all three of them had for winter clothing that would handle the snow. Pepper told them that she'd done some research on places that they could stay, and she'd found several very large houses that were rustic and yet not so primitive that Strange would scowl every time he looked around the interior.

Which made Tony smirk and Peter smile.

"Do you want to look at some of the places with me, tomorrow or the next day?" Pepper asked Peter. "It's your trip, so it's only fair that you have a say in the final location."

He nodded, touched that she'd let him help.

"Definitely."

"Find a place with a hot tub, Peter," Tony suggested. "If we spend all day making snowmen of ourselves, a hot tub would be a good way to warm up, after."

"Sounds good."

After they ate, they played Sorry until Dr. Strange came to collect the cloak and head back to the sanctum, reporting to them that Natasha had eaten, had been entertained and then had fallen asleep and was resting comfortably. The doctor was inveigled into playing a game of Sorry with them before he left, and was annoyed to discover that he wasn't lucky – and that none of them were ever _really_ sorry when they knocked one of his game pieces back to the start position.

He declined another game, and another cup of coffee, and vanished, leaving the three all grinning, even though Tony was the most smug, since he'd won the game, just edging out Pepper.

"I'm going to go to bed," Peter said, pushing his chair out and standing up.

He gave Pepper a hug from behind, as he generally did when it was just too awkward to hug from the side or the front, and she held his head with her palm long enough to brush a gentle kiss against his cheek and tell him goodnight. Peter did the same to Tony, but this time _he_ was the one who held Stark's face, his hand brushing against Tony's temple, holding him still long enough for the boy to brush his cheek against Tony's chin for a long moment.

Stark closed his eyes, knowing full well what the gesture meant to Peter, and smiled at the boy when he pulled away.

"Good night, Peter."

They both watched the boy leave, and Pepper reached for Tony's hand with a tender smile.

"I'm going to go to bed, too. Coming?"

Stark shook his head. He wasn't ready to sleep just yet, and antsy enough that he knew he'd keep her awake.

"I'll be there in a while."

She got up and hugged him from behind, also pressing her cheek against his chin, and then kissing him.

"I love you."

He turned his head for a real kiss, which she provided.

"I love you, too. Good night."

OOOOOOOO

Peter stopped in to check on Natasha, but she was asleep like Strange had said, and he didn't wake her. He went to his rooms, changed from jeans into sweats and a t-shirt and then settled in his bed to read for a while longer, feeling a little restless, and not ready to sleep. He figured if nothing else, he could read himself to sleep.

The problem was, the book – _The Call of the Wild_ – was actually pretty good, and was enough of an adventure story that Peter finished it and _didn't_ fall asleep. Instead, he tossed it onto his night stand and got out of bed, figuring that he'd have a snack before actually going to sleep. It was fairly late, after all, and he didn't know what Tony might have planned for the next day, but he didn't want to be tired and grumpy while doing it.

He opened the fridge and got out an apple, idly looking out the window and down onto the field as he did. He saw a figure sitting on one of the lounge chairs that sat on the edge of the field, and realized that it was Tony. He wasn't doing anything, in fact, while Peter watched, the man never moved, clearly lost in thought. Peter put the apple down and headed for his door.

OOOOOOO

Tony was drawn from his brooding by an alert chime from his watch.

" _Peter has left the facility,"_ Friday informed him.

Stark was immediately on his feet. It was a bit early for sleepwalking, but the boy didn't have a set schedule, and they all knew it.

"Which entrance?"

" _The one behind you."_

Tony turned and saw the boy walking toward him, pulling on a sweatshirt – which told him immediately that Peter wasn't sleepwalking. Historically, Peter never worried about taking care not to catch a chill when sleepwalking.

"You okay?" he asked as Peter approached.

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm fine. What's the square root of sixteen?"

"Four. Why?"

"Just checking." It never hurt to be sure, after all. "What are you doing up?"

"Finished my book and saw you out here," Peter answered, honestly. "I thought I'd come make sure you weren't sleepwalking."

Tony smiled, and sat back down on the lounge chair – sideways, to provide room for Peter to sit beside him, which he did.

"No. I'm just thinking. And I didn't want to wake Pepper."

"About what?"

"My father."

"What was he like?" Peter asked, curiously.

"Hard. Detached. Brilliant. Ruthless. I hated him. Most of the time. He was an alcoholic and sometimes – _most of the time_ – I wondered if he even liked me. Especially when he sent me off to boarding school."

"Oh."

"He left me quite a legacy though, when he and my mom died."

Peter knew about the car accident that had killed Tony's parents. He knew everything about Stark's past and had felt a connection with the man that came from the sharing of their lost parents. Long before he knew Tony as a person, he had understood what he'd lost – even though Tony had been much older than Peter when his parents had died.

"Stark Industries?"

"Yeah. But a lot of other things. Including some I'd rather not mention."

"Did you ever fear making a connection with other people when you lost them – in case you'd lose those people, too?"

"No." Tony understood exactly what Peter was asking, and he sighed. "I went the opposite route. I became a drunk, and decided not to care about _anyone_. Then I wouldn't be sad to see them leave me. I drove them away before I could come to care for them."

"What happened?"

Meaning, how did he get over it. Stark understood the question.

"I met _Pepper_ , and she made me want to be a better man. And I got kidnapped and tortured, and became Ironman, and realized I couldn't be Ironman, and I couldn't love Pepper, _and_ continue being the ass that I was. So I finally grew up."

" _I'm_ afraid," Peter admitted, softly. "Sometimes…"

"I know." He put his hand on Peters shoulder. "I wish I could tell you that you don't have to be. But it would be a lie, and you would know it."

He'd just lost May, after all, and if things had gone worse in the magician attack on the highway, he could very well have lost Natasha.

"I guess I'm lucky. My dad and mom loved me. Even made a video to prove it to me."

Stark smiled, and thought about the video his own father had recorded. He decided someday he would show it to Peter.

"They loved you very much," Tony agreed. "It's easy to see. And easy to see why you became such a good kid – and why you're going to be an amazing man. They gave you a good start. Then May took over, and she finished the job."

"It's not _finished_ ," Peter told him. "She's _gone_ , now, and I'm not there, yet. I can feel that inside me, you know? That there are still things missing. Things I need to learn to be a good man. The things my dad probably planned on teaching me when I was older."

"I know."

They were silent for a long time, sitting side by side, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Do I call you _dad_? Or Tony? _Pops_?"

Stark looked over at him, realizing what he was asking, and feeling his heart skip a beat in pure happiness.

"Whatever you're comfortable with," he said. "Not _Pops_."

"I'm not sure I'd be comfortable calling you dad. _Irondad_?" he smiled at that and shook his head. "No. Probably not that, either."

"I'd be fine with Tony. But you'd have to allow the occasional _son_ , I think. If it wouldn't freak you out."

"I could live with that." Peter leaned into Stark's side, and felt the man put his arms around him, holding him close. "What do we do?" he asked. "How do we make it official?"

Tony rested his chin on Peter's head.

"We tell _Pepper_ , and let her do all the behind the scenes stuff. That's how I've managed to survive all these years."

Peter smiled at that.

"I love you, Tony."

And just like that, he gave himself away. Even though he well aware that Tony was Ironman and could be taken from him just as suddenly as his parents and May had been. The fear was always going to be there, but he knew that he could either face it, or he could hide from it, and he didn't want to hide from it.

Stark smiled, feeling the sting of tears in his eyes as he pressed a kiss against the boy's temple. Peter had said it before, but for some reason it felt just a little different this time, even though he didn't know why.

"I love you, too, Peter."


	109. Chapter 109

Pepper roused when Tony joined her in their bed. He hadn't meant to wake her, but she flinched when his bare skin touched hers.

"You're _freezing_ …"

"I'm sorry," he murmured, feeling her cuddle up against him to start warming him up. "I was outside with Peter."

She opened her eyes, automatically assuming that he was sleepwalking.

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah. We were talking. He said yes."

Pepper smiled at that, and tilted her head up toward him, placing a kiss on his chin.

"I'm glad."

"So am I." He kissed her, feeling almost euphoric. "So what's the next step?"

"I contact the lawyers. You guys have to go in front of a judge, he or she will ask Peter some questions to make sure he's not being forced to get adopted, and then you sign the papers. Instant family."

"How long until you can get that set up?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"So soon?"

"I'm good, what can I say?"

"You could say _yes_ ," he whispered, kissing her, again. " _Then_ it would be a complete family."

"Tony… we talked about this."

"You could be the _stepmother_. Not the _evil_ stepmother, but the good one. Like you never see in the stories."

He kissed her and she smiled against his lips.

"We can wait."

" _Guaranteed_ Mother's Day present…"

Another kiss.

"That's not until _May_."

"You don't want to be called _mommy_?"

Another kiss.

"Is he going to call you _daddy_?"

"I _hope_ not." He was kissing her quite seriously, now, and she was responding. "Just think about it, okay?"

"I _have_. Let's give him a chance to get comfortable in his role, first. There's no hurry. Right?"

"No. I suppose not."

He couldn't make her do anything she didn't want to do – and didn't want to talk her into something she wasn't _ready_ to do. Besides, he had _other_ things on his mind, now – and she didn't need much convincing for that.

"Good."

OOOOOOO

It was just after 8 in the morning when Tony went looking for Peter to see if he wanted to drive into the city with him when he took Pepper to the tower. He checked the boy's room, first, and wasn't too surprised to find the bed empty. He went next door to Romanoff's room, but while she _was_ asleep, she was sleeping _alone_.

Tony tucked the blanket up over her before leaving her to her rest, and when he was out in the corridor once more he finally asked Friday where Peter was, and headed for the exit that led to the field. He found Steve Rogers near the door, leaning against the door frame and looking out the window.

"What are you watching?"

Steve looked over his shoulder and smiled, motioning with his head for Tony to join him.

An early morning rain was drenching the ballfield and Tony saw that Peter was out at the edge of the field, soaking wet and muddy, on his hands and knees in front of Jack, wrestling with the puppy for a piece of knotted rope. The puppy was equally wet and muddy – although his chocolate colored coat hid it better than Peter's gray sweats and sweatshirt did.

"I was going to take him out on my run, but Peter asked if I'd let _him_ take him." Rogers shrugged. "Who am I to say no?"

As they watched, Peter sprang to his feet and took off like he was shot out of a cannon, with Jack right behind him, easily keeping up. The boy tried to dodge, and slipped in the wet, muddy field, going down in a heap and immediately swarmed over by the puppy, muddy paws leaving their own signature on the boy's clothing and exposed skin.

Tony smiled, but opened the door and walked outside, still under cover of the overhang, so not getting rained on – or muddy.

"Peter!" The boy looked up, grabbing Jack to distract him long enough to see who was calling. "Come here, will you?"

He got to his feet and jogged over, still holding Jack, and out of the corner of his eyes, Tony saw Steve step up beside him. Peter was soaked, yes, but his eyes sparkled with cheer, and it made Tony smile. Or maybe it was the muddy paw print on his cheek.

"Hey, Tony."

"Good morning. I'm going to drive Pepper to work. Want to come?"

"Yeah." He looked down at the puppy in his arms – the _very muddy_ puppy – and then at Steve, who smiled and reached for him.

"I think he needs a bath."

Whether Rogers meant Jack or Peter, it wasn't clear, but either way it was definitely true.

"I'll go get changed."

"Wait." Tony pulled his phone out before Steve could reclaim Jack, and took a picture of the muddy boy and the muddy puppy, figuring it was something Pepper would like to see – and definitely a keeper. "Okay. Go get cleaned up and meet us in the garage as soon as you can, okay?"

"Yeah."

Now he handed Jack to Rogers who took him gingerly, but was immediately smeared by the muddy lab he was holding.

"Thanks for exercising him for me, Peter."

"Any time, Steve."

The boy left, and the two men went back inside.

"Did he sleepwalk last night?" Tony asked.

"He told me that he didn't _sleep_."

Which made Stark frown, but Steve shook his head.

"He's fine, Tony. Look at him. If nothing else, he can catch up on what he missed this afternoon."

Tony smiled.

"Maybe not. He and I might have a date with a judge this afternoon."

There was a brief look of surprise, and then Steve smiled, too, and barely resisted the urge to slap the other man on the shoulder – or at least shake his hand. He didn't need to get him muddy.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"Is it a secret?"

Meaning, could he tell the others.

"He just told me yes last night. But no, it's not a secret – although we aren't going to be issuing a press release right away."

"That's incredible," Steve said, still smiling and obviously pleased for his friend. "Who'd have thought? _Ironpoppa_."

Stark rolled his eyes.

"Go wash your dog, Rogers."

He was smiling, though, when he headed back to his quarters.

OOOOOOO

They were both waiting for him when Peter arrived at the garage at a trot, freshly showered and wearing clean jeans and a different sweatshirt. He was holding a handful of donuts and an umbrella, and Pepper kissed him good morning, before stealing a donut from him.

"Where did you get those?" Tony asked, holding her door for her and also taking a donut once he'd closed the door behind Pepper.

"Deena gave them to me."

He got into the car and buckled himself in, and Pepper turned in her seat as she usually did when she wanted to talk to him. It let him know that he had the majority of her attention.

"I hear you and Tony are making it official."

Peter smiled, and then unaccountably blushed.

"Yeah. I mean, if you're okay with it?"

Pepper smiled, too.

"I couldn't be happier. Maybe you can keep him out of trouble."

"Or maybe he can help me convince you to marry me," Tony said, pulling the car out of the garage.

Pepper rolled her eyes, amused and not at all looking pressured.

"Don't listen to him, Peter. I must ask him three or four times a day. He always calls me a ball and chain and then changes the subject."

Tony smiled at that and shook his head, but he didn't respond.

"He said you'd know what to do, next…" Peter told her.

"As it happens, I _do_. I spoke with the lawyers, yesterday."

They ate their donuts and discussed what would need to happen to make it legal, and Peter was surprised at how quickly it could happen, but didn't seem hesitant about getting everything done as soon as possible.

Once she was sure he was all in with the plan, she phoned ahead to the lawyer, and got the process started as they drove into the city. By the time they were close to the tower, she had a return call, and spoke for a few minutes, then hung up and turned back to him – and included Tony in the conversation this time.

"The papers will be filed this morning. If you guys are available at four-thirty they've assured me that Judge Johnson will have time to complete the adoption, then."

Tony looked at Peter's reflection in the rearview mirror, and the boy shrugged, and nodded.

"Okay."

"Why don't we stay in the city, today, then?" Tony asked Peter. "We can look up some of those places in Montana, and maybe take Pepper to lunch to thank her for all her hard work. And maybe find an arcade or something this afternoon."

"You might call Ned's mom and see if he can come to the appointment. Peter should have him there."

Peter smiled at that, and then frowned when they came in sight of the tower. The crowd of journalists was still outside waiting for their chance at a scoop, all of them getting rained on. Many of them had umbrellas, but not all.

"Stop, Tony," he asked, as they pulled up to the garage door that was already open. "Please."

Stark stopped, and he and Pepper watched as the small crowd surged forward to swarm Tony's window and also Pepper's. Peter was the only one who rolled his window down, however, and he picked up the umbrella that was in the little holder in the door of the car and handed it to one particularly drenched looking photographer.

The man looked surprised – so surprised that he didn't even have the sense to snap a picture – although several others did.

"Thanks," the surprised man told the boy.

"You're welcome."

Peter rolled the window back up and Tony shook his head, equally amused and touched.

They were going to have to stock up on umbrellas if he pulled that particular stunt too many times.

"They look miserable," Peter noted as the garage door closed. "Maybe we could take them some coffee and donuts, or something?"

"I think that's a great idea," Pepper agreed.


	110. Chapter 110

Pepper smiled when she joined Tony in the party area of the tower just around lunch time. He was sitting on a sofa, flipping through his tablet. Peter was sprawled beside him, with his head on Tony's leg, sound asleep.

"The vacation houses in Montana are that _boring_?"

Stark smiled, looking down at the boy using his leg as a pillow with tender affection.

"We found just the place – as far as _he's_ concerned. He didn't sleep last night, though, so I suppose it makes sense that he didn't make it much further than that."

"You took coffee to the reporters?"

"I had coffee and donuts _sent down_ ," Stark corrected. "My altruism only goes so far – certainly not far enough that I'm willing to risk him getting trampled in a media stampede. We'll introduce him to them another time."

"Did you call Ned's mom?"

"Yes. We will pick him up from school at 3:30. Will that work for you?"

"Of course. Tell me about the place."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"It's _isolated_. We'll get to snowmobile in – I was hoping for an airport so we could take the jet and just park next door."

"We can still take the jet."

"And we _will_. But we'll have to land a fair distance off – hence the _snowmobiles_."

"That will be an adventure."

"That's what he's thinking, too."

"It has a hot tub?"

"And a fireplace, and seven bedrooms and a full sized kitchen that is supposed to have all the amenities – we just bring in our food."

"And a _birthday cake_."

"Yeah. There are plenty of hills for sleds and a deck for what looks to be a spectacular view. Should be a nice place to spend the weekend."

"Good." She knelt down beside the couch, and brushed the back of her fingers against Peter's cheek to wake him up. When he opened his eyes, sleepily, she smiled. "Ready for lunch?"

Peter nodded and sat up.

"Yeah."

"Preference?"

"Chinese?"

Pepper looked at Tony.

"Want to go out? Or get take in?"

"Let's eat out."

OOOOOOOO

Pepper decided that she was done for the day, so they left the tower – with several reporters waving when they did – and went to a somewhat obscure Chinese place for lunch. They took their time eating, and then since they had time to kill before going to pick up Ned, they went shopping for a new suit for Peter to wear in front of the judge, since jeans were maybe a bit too informal for the occasion – and Pepper wouldn't have dreamed of making him change into the suit that he'd worn to May's funeral.

This one was bought off the rack, and she and Tony sent him back to the changing room several times to find one that wasn't too formal but that fit right, and would be one that he could use for any other semi formal occasions in the future. Peter simply rolled his eyes in dismay every time he was told something didn't look quite right.

When three-thirty came, the car was parked in front of Peter's school, and the boy sent Ned a message through the watches to let him know where to meet them. Ned came scampering over, grinning hugely as he got into the back seat beside Peter and tossed his backpack on the floor at his feet.

"Hey, everyone."

"Hi, Ned."

Ned looked at Peter.

"Should I be wearing a suit?"

Pepper smiled.

"No. You look fine."

"You're _really_ adopting Peter, Mr. Stark?"

"Yeah."

"Holy _shit_ , Dude," Ned whispered, excitedly, and Pepper and Tony both grinned since they were sure he thought he'd been quiet enough to not be overheard – and he _wasn't_. "I told everyone that the article was so much bullshit, but they said if it's in the _paper_ then it had to be true."

"It wasn't true, _then_ ," Peter confirmed. "It will be next time, I guess."

"We thought you'd like to be there," Tony said.

"Yeah. Thanks." He buckled up, and Tony pulled back into traffic. "MJ said she's coming to the compound this weekend."

Peter nodded, but Pepper turned in her seat.

"The VR prototypes were delivered to my office this morning."

That set off a conversation between Ned and Pepper that took them to the courthouse and into the courtroom. Which was just as well. Peter was nervous, now, and trying hard to hide it since he didn't want Tony to think he was changing his mind – which he wasn't.

They went into the courtroom, and sat in the back of the room, with Peter sitting between Ned and Tony, and Pepper on the other side of Ned, the two adults flanking the two boys. Stark's presence caused a bit of a sensation, but it was (purposely) a closed courtroom, and even if the press wanted to congregate there, they couldn't go into the room itself. There was some murmuring coming from outside the door, which said that there were people gathering, but the judge – a stern looking older woman – gestured to one of the guards near the door and he went outside and soon the noise died down to nothing.

"You okay?" Tony whispered to Peter, who was gnawing on his thumbnail and trying to keep his knee from shaking.

"Yeah."

" _Nervous_?"

"A little," Peter admitted.

The judge glared over at Peter, who quailed and fell silent. Tony put his arm around the boy's shoulder to steady him – and to steal a little support, himself. He'd been in front of senators, presidents and all sorts of high ranking generals, but never to become a _father_. It was a little nerve-wracking for _him_ , as well. But Peter was shaking like a leaf in a high wind by the time the judge called them forward.

"Anthony Stark, petitioning to adopt Peter Parker?"

Tony nodded.

"Yes, your honor."

She looked at Peter, and stood up.

"Come with me, young man."

Peter followed the judge silently into a small room off to the side of the courtroom that turned out to be an office of some kind and when she closed the door behind them, she gestured to the chair by the desk.

"Don't be afraid, Peter," she told him, her expression softening from the stern visage she'd shown her courtroom. "I just want to ask you a few questions. Nothing tricky. All right?"

"Okay."

"Is anyone _making_ you do this?"

"No."

"Do you _want_ to be adopted by Mr. Stark?"

"Yes."

"Normally I'd ask him if he can afford to feed and clothe you," she said with a wry look. "This won't be a problem, obviously, with Stark."

"No."

"One last question. Will he make you happy?"

"I love him," Peter told her, honestly.

She looked at him for a long moment, not saying anything. Then she nodded.

"Good enough. Thank you, Peter."

She led the boy out of the small room and gestured for him to join Tony in front of her bench.

"Mr. Stark, Peter tells me that he wants to be adopted by you. I'm going to ask you more or less the same questions I asked him. Is anyone forcing you to adopt Peter?"

"No, your honor."

"Do you want to adopt him?"

"Absolutely."

"Will you do everything that you can to make him happy?"

"Yes."

She nodded to the bailiff, who brought out a small stack of papers.

"Sign everywhere there is a little red x, Mr. Stark."

Tony pulled a pen and did as he was told, and the courtroom was silent while he did.

Once he stepped back, the bailiff handed all the papers to the judge, who looked them over carefully and then nodded, giving Peter a smile.

"He's all yours, Peter."

The boy smiled, and turned toward Tony, who wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly for a long moment before handing him over to Pepper, who also hugged him. Then Ned hugged Peter, and then Pepper, and finally Tony, truly excited for them all – and for _himself_ , of course, since his best friend was now Tony Stark's _son_.

"There is a private exit from my chambers to the garage, Mr. Stark," the judge told him. "In the interest of avoiding a scene with the throng of media that have apparently gathered outside my courtroom, please feel free to utilize it to get your son out of here without any issue."

"Thank you, your honor."

Stark turned and gestured for the others to follow him, and he followed one of the bailiffs to the judge's chambers and then out the back door and down a secluded hall to the garage.

"Let's drop Ned off and then go home." Pepper nodded her agreement, still smiling, and Tony looked at Peter. "You okay?"

He nodded.

"Yes." Then he grinned, impudently. " _Dad_."

Tony's smile was amused, but there was a little bit of wonder in his expression that he couldn't hide. He put his hand on the boy's head, ruffling his fingers through his hair.

"Glad to hear it. _Son_."


	111. Chapter 111

They dropped Ned off at his home, reminding him that Pepper would be by to pick him up on Friday for the weekend stay at the compound. Peter grabbed his jeans and t-shirt and ran upstairs with Ned in order to say hello to his mother – and to change out of the uncomfortable suit. _Tony_ wore them all the time but Peter already hated them. While he was in Ned's room, he sent also sent his friend a link to the house that he and Tony had found for them to stay at for his birthday weekend. Ned said he'd look at it and tell him what he thought.

"Stop somewhere to eat?" Tony asked when Peter returned to the car, now dressed far more comfortably. "Or wait until we get home?"

Pepper looked back at Peter, who shrugged.

"I don't care, either way."

Besides, _he'd_ chosen what they had for lunch. It was only fair someone else decided on dinner.

"Let's wait until we get back to the compound," Pepper decided.

"Another thing that _you_ need to decide," Tony said, looking at Peter's reflection in the rearview mirror. "Do you want us to move you closer to our quarters in the compound?"

"What?"

"You're pretty much on the _other_ side of the building," Stark pointed out. "Would you prefer to be closer? We could make some pretty nice rooms right next to ours for you."

"Move away from Natasha and Steve?"

Tony smiled at the aggravated expression on Peter's face, and shrugged.

"I guess that answers that."

"If he has friends over, we don't want to be stuck listening to loud music and video games all night, anyway," Pepper pointed out.

"You make a good point."

They drove out of the city, and headed for the compound. As usual Peter drifted off. Having _Ironman_ as you legal parent was great and all, but the excitement wouldn't make up for a missed night's sleep. Tony didn't even have to turn up the heat and turn on the music to lull the boy to sleep, this time. He did, anyway, just to make sure Peter was warm enough.

"How do you feel?" Pepper asked Tony, softly, putting her hand on his arm and rubbing it. "Any different?"

He smiled and caught her hand, bringing it up to his lips for just a moment before putting it on his leg.

" _Relieved_ ," he admitted. "I kept thinking she was going to start shooting off reasons that they didn't find me fit to be his father. And even worse, the reasons that they would have thrown at me were nothing compared to the ones that were going through my head."

"You're going to do fine."

"I know."

He had her to help him, after all.

OOOOOOOO

Oddly, the _cloak_ was waiting for them when they pulled into the garage at the compound. Stark frowned to see it hovering next to the Pontiac, but it wasn't jerking around or anything, giving them the impression that there was a problem.

"That's new," Tony said.

"Think everything is alright?"

"If there were a problem, Stephen would have contacted one of us."

It wasn't like he didn't have the means to do it. Tony rolled down the back window – the one Peter wasn't leaning against, figuring the cloak could wake the boy up for him. Sure enough, the relic swept in through the open window and immediately started loving up on Peter, clearly trying to wake him up rather than just caressing him.

Peter opened his eyes, confused, and looked around as he pulled the fabric from in front of his face.

"We're back?"

"Yeah." Tony turned in his seat. "Is there something wrong? It was waiting for us."

Peter shook his head.

"It just feels cheerful."

"Huh." Stark got out of the car and went around to open Pepper's door. "Ask it if Stephen's here."

Peter didn't have to, the cloak gave an immediate affirmative response.

"Yeah."

"Visiting Natasha?"

"Yes."

"Is she doing okay?"

Another yes.

"I'll go check on her," Peter told them, getting out of the car as well.

The cloak wrapped around him and he felt a tug, and a no at the same time.

"What's it doing?" Stark asked, correctly interpreting the look on Peter's face and wondering at the way the relic seemed to be trying to go a different direction than the boy.

"I don't know. It's telling me no."

Tony's smile was sly.

"Maybe they're… _occupied_. Why don't we go to the lounge, and you can check on Natasha later?"

This time the cloak agreed before Peter had a chance to, so he simply nodded, and they turned toward the lounge, with Peter walking between Pepper and Tony, and Tony's hand almost possessively on his shoulder, beside the cloak.

"Did you have anything particular in mind to do after dinner?" he asked Peter.

The boy shook his head.

"I have a million papers to get written – and I finished one of my books, so I can write that paper, too, but I'm still a bit tired, so I might to go to bed early and just do it all tomorrow."

That earned him a hand across his forehead and a slightly concerned look, but he only smiled, because he felt fine. Before he could tell him that, though, they turned the final corner in the corridor leading to the lounge and he felt a tingle of warning right before they entered the unusually darkened room.

" _Surprise!"_

The lights went on again, and a group of what had to be easily forty people suddenly swarmed them, hugging them and slapping Tony's back and his back. Pepper smiled and stepped to the side – followed immediately by the cloak, which didn't want anything to do with so many people slapping _it_ and pinning it against Peter when they hugged him.

When the first wave of well-wishers finally receded, they saw that the lounge had been decorated with banners with all kinds of congratulatory sayings, and baby blue balloons, streamers, and decorations of all kinds. A huge cake dominated a table that was flanked by other tables holding snack foods of every sort. It had _It's a boy_ written across the top, and then _congratulations Tony and Peter_ scrawled across the bottom, with several blue frosting balloons dotting the rest of the open spaces.

By the time Tony and Peter had taken in all the decorations and the fact that it was most definitely a party – on a Tuesday – Steve, Clint Bruce and Strange had all walked over to them, all smiling, and Pepper returned to Stark's side, looking smug.

"What's all this?" Tony asked, surprised, looking around and shaking Bruce's hand – as well as Stephen's, when he offered it with a smile that didn't hold any of his usual sardonic expression.

"You didn't think we'd let such a momentous occasion go by without celebrating it, did you?" Steve asked, reaching out to shake Tony's hand, and then slapping Peter's shoulder, cheerfully.

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"Not a chance," Clint said, grinning. He shook Tony's hand, too, but then grabbed Peter roughly by the shoulders, pulling him away from the others. "Come on, Nat wants you to go say hi, and she's not steady enough on her feet to make her fight the crowd."

The boy let himself be led over to the couch, where Romanoff was sitting, still bundled in blankets but fairly upright. Strange put his hand on Stark's shoulder and watched as the boy sat down beside her.

"Pepper is an amazing woman, you know that? _Amazing_ …"

Tony raised an eyebrow, his hand automatically finding Pepper's.

"I agree, but why do _you_ say that?"

"She managed to find the only judge in the entire city of New York that is crazy enough to legally make _you_ a father."

Stark rolled his eyes with an amused grin.

"I'm going to let you have that one. Only because I happen to agree."

The group laughed, and led Tony to the bar.


	112. Chapter 112

Natasha smiled up at Peter when Clint led her over to the sofa she was sitting on and she patted the spot beside her in invitation. He sat down and she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close for a long moment before letting him go.

"I'm so proud of you."

He didn't ask why. He knew.

"Thank you."

"Does it feel any different?"

Peter shook his head.

"Not really. But it happened so fast, I don't know that it's really sunk in, yet. It's pretty surreal."

"I _bet_ ," Clint said, sitting next to Peter. "I'll give you a dollar if you call him _daddy_."

The boy grinned and shook his head.

"Not a chance."

"What _are_ you going to call him?" Barton asked, curiously. " _Irondad_ seems to be gaining popularity."

"Probably just Tony, I think. It's what I'm comfortable with – and he said that was okay with him."

Clint rolled his eyes, dramatically.

"Boring."

Peter smiled, and then looked over at Natasha.

"How do you feel?"

"I'm fine. Just a little sore."

"Need anything?"

"An iced tea?"

"Be right back."

He stood up and went to the bar, joining the small group that was gathered around Tony. They parted for him, and Peter asked the bartender for an iced tea and a cola, and Stark put his arm around the boy's shoulder. _His_ boy's shoulder.

"How is she doing?"

"She says she's a little sore."

"She's doing very well," Strange assured him.

"Well enough to go to Montana for my birthday?" Peter asked.

The doctor frowned, but Stark and Pepper both smiled, well aware that Natasha was plenty well enough to go to Montana – it was _Strange_ who was certain there was a moose out there sharpening his antlers and waiting for him.

"She'll almost certainly insist," Stephen said, ignoring the amused glances of those adults around him.

"Are you going to come? You and Wong are invited, too, don't forget."

"He wouldn't miss it for the world, Peter," Tony told the boy. "Right, Uncle Stephen?"

Pepper snorted, indelicately, and choked on the wine she was sipping, prompting Steve to slap her back a few times.

Strange shook his head, but he was in a good mood and was used to Tony Stark's teasing by now. It was his day, so he'd let him have his fun.

"Yes, Peter, I'll definitely come. I'm not sure Wong will, though, but I'll make sure he understands that he's invited."

"Thanks, Dr. Strange."

Peter took his two glasses and headed back to Natasha, and Stephen looked at Pepper.

"Tell me the place has indoor plumbing."

"It's beautiful, Stephen," she assured him.

OOOOOOOOOO

For being held on a weekday, the party went extremely late. Peter and Tony were the center of things, as it should be since the party was their celebration, and everyone wanted a chance to congratulate them. The term _Irondad_ could be heard several times in the course of conversation, and Tony would roll his eyes every time he was close enough to hear it. Peter thought it was amusing.

Since they hadn't had dinner, he and Tony grazed their way through the snack table, but Peter was a teenaged boy and had the appetite to match – even though his skinny frame didn't show it. He had seconds and thirds of everything, and applied himself to more than one slice of cake when it was cut.

"It's a good thing you're _rich_ ," Barton told Stark as they watched Peter wolf down another slice of cake – and then wash it down with a dish of ice cream. "You'd never be able to afford to feed him."

"He's a growing boy," Pepper pointed out. "Wait until your sons reach that age, then you'll see for yourself."

Eventually the partygoers started to leave, trickling out of the lounge in dribs and drabs until it was far more empty than full. Natasha had dozed off on the sofa, pain medication and more food than was probably good for her dragging her into sleep, sitting beside Strange, who had thoroughly enjoyed the evening but was ready to call it a night, too.

"I'm going to put her to bed and go home," he told Peter, who had been sitting in a chair close at hand, almost asleep himself, but with enough sugar coursing through his system that he wasn't quite there, yet. "You'll check on her for me in the morning?"

"Yeah."

Tony walked up just then and wrapped his arms around Peter from behind and rested his chin on the top of the boy's head.

"It's getting _late_. You should go to bed, soon."

"I will."

Strange smiled at the gesture – which was clearly a dad thing, but certainly wasn't the first time he'd seen Tony Stark doing something similar with Peter. Obviously it wasn't a piece of paper that made a man a father. The paper just made it official.

"I'll give you ten dollars if you throw a tantrum and refuse to go bed," he told Peter.

"I'll give you fifty if you _don't_ ," Stark countered.

"That's a dangerous precedence to set, Tony," Strange pointed out, amused, standing up and carefully gathering Natasha's sleeping form into his arms.

"This from the guy who gave him a hundred dollars to punk me by eating a cinnamon roll?"

The doctor shrugged, shifting Natasha just a bit, and the cloak that had been wrapped around Peter all evening transferred over to his collar.

"I don't live with him."

He vanished and Tony ruffled Peter's hair before moving to take the space on the sofa so he could look at him.

"You _should_ go to bed," he said. "You look tired."

"I am, and I will." He looked around, though, his expression bemused. "This was amazing though, wasn't it?"

Stark nodded, but before he could say anything, Pepper came over and joined him on the couch, taking Tony's hand so she could wrap his arm around her. Then she leaned into his side and closed her eyes.

"I'm taking tomorrow off," she decided. "I might sleep all week."

"It's been a long day," Tony agreed. "Ready for bed?"

"Yes." She opened her eyes. "How do you feel?"

"Best day of my life. How could I be anything but great?"

"Peter?"

"I'm going to see if there's more cake, then I'm going to bed, too."

Tony shook his head and got to his feet, pulling Pepper upright as well.

"We'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Yeah. Goodnight."

They both brushed a hand against his shoulder as they walk by and left the lounge.

OOOOOO

 _Where?_

 _What?_

 _Where?_

 _He looked at the small stone that had somehow appeared in his hand._

 _Nowhere. I'm where I belong._

OOOOOOO

She woke when she felt him join her, and pulled her blankets back for him, automatically, not even opening her eyes.

"Hi, baby…" she murmured, sleepily.

He didn't answer, immediately. Instead, he cuddled up against her, his cheek going against her collarbone and a soft sigh escaping his lips, warming her skin.

"Do you hurt?"

"No."

His arm moved and his hand rested on her stomach and he was still. Natasha was almost asleep again when she felt something hard and small pressed against her stomach and under his hand. Something odd enough that it woke her a little more and she shifted just a bit to reach for whatever it was. There was just enough light in her room that she could see that she was now holding a small rock. Confused, but too tired and medicated to really wake up, she simply moved the rock over to her nightstand.

Then she went back to sleep.


	113. Chapter 113

"Are you going to sleep all day?"

He didn't even open his eyes, well aware that Tony wouldn't really care if he did. He was warm, and comfortable, and someone was cuddled beside him. Someone who smelled of the shampoo that Natasha preferred. Which meant that he almost certainly wasn't in _his_ bed but he was with Natasha, which was certainly one reason why he was so comfortable.

"Yes."

A hand brushed his forehead and cheek.

"Do you feel alright?"

"Just sleepy."

"I was thinking about giving you a driving lesson. Interested?"

"Yes."

He didn't move, though, and he heard Natasha chuckle, softly. This time the hand that touched his cheek was decidedly feminine.

"You can't learn to drive in my bed, Peter," she pointed out.

He opened his eyes and rolled away from Natasha's warm side so he could look up at Tony.

"What about Pepper?"

"She already _knows_ how to drive."

Peter rolled his eyes – an affectation that he learned from the best – amused and loving the fact that Stark was teasing him.

"She took the day off?"

"Yes."

"You don't want to spend time with _her_?"

"She's still in bed. Reading."

"Which means that she kicked him out because he was annoying her," Natasha explained.

Tony took hold of Peter, wrapping his arms around the boy's waist and pulling him out of Romanoff's bed, but holding onto him until he got his feet under him.

"Come on, go get dressed and meet me back here in two minutes."

"Okay."

The boy left the room, and Tony sat on the edge of Romanoff's bed.

"When did he join you?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "He didn't say anything. Just settled in beside me and went to sleep."

"Was he sleepwalking?"

"Probably." It was hard to tell, though, because Peter wasn't shy about joining Natasha in her bed if he needed the comfort that her company always seemed to give him. "He had that rock in his hand, though."

Stark looked over at the rock that she gestured at, and frowned when he picked it up. It looked like any other rock, of course, but he thought it _also_ looked like that teleporting stone, too. He didn't know the difference, though, and Tony knew that the boy hadn't teleported anywhere, because Friday would have told him if he'd left the compound.

"Huh. When Stephen comes to visit you today, ask him if it's his transporting rock, will you? If it _is_ , tell him to lock it up somewhere."

She nodded.

"I'll let him know."

"How do you feel?"

She smiled, touched that he was truly concerned.

"Much better. I'll be out of bed in no time, most likely."

"Don't rush it," Stark warned. "We don't have anything pressing going on right now, so there's no hurry."

Before she could reply, Peter was back, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and looking far more eager than he had when he'd been literally dragged out of bed.

"Ready?" Tony asked, getting up.

"Yeah." The boy looked at Natasha. "Do you need anything?"

She shook her head.

"Bring me back a surprise."

"Okay."

He turned and headed for the door. Tony rolled his eyes, amused.

"It'll be a _surprise_ if I can get him out of second gear…"

OOOOOOOO

"You're doing great."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Then why are you clutching the dash?"

"I'm not clutching it. I'm _dusting_ it. Shift into fourth."

"I thought I _was_ in fourth."

"Watch the _road_ , Peter, not the stick."

"Then I can't see what gear I'm in."

"You listen to the engine to know what gear you're in. Feel it?"

"Do I _feel_ it, or _listen_ to it?"

"Just shift into fourth."

"Okay."

"That's not fourth."

"I-"

"Watch the _road_ , not the stick."

"I could still be in _bed_ , you know."

"You're doing great."

OOOOOOOO

Pepper was in the lounge, eating an early lunch when she looked up and saw Tony walking into the room with Peter by his side. She set her book aside, smiling as they walked over to the table. Peter was grinning, and cheerfully hugged her from behind, leaning over to press a kiss against her cheek. Which made her smile.

"How was the lesson?" she asked.

"He's a natural," Tony told her.

"Really?"

"Not even close."

Peter didn't look at all upset by the proclamation.

"I'm getting it."

"Did you get pulled over?" Pepper asked.

"Nope."

"Then that's an improvement."

Peter looked over at Tony.

"I _told_ you."

"Aren't you supposed to be doing homework?"

The boy smiled at that, but he nodded.

"Yeah, I do have some papers to write."

"When you get tired of it, come find me."

Peter left, and Pepper looked over at Tony.

"How's he really doing?"

"He's getting it. A few more lessons and I'll be ready to stop clutching the dash."

"Want _me_ to take over? Or we could have _Happy_ teach him."

Tony shook his head.

"I _do_ want Happy to teach him the defensive driving, once he has the hang of things. But this is something I want to do, so we'll be fine."

"Good."

"My life insurance _is_ up to date, right?"

Pepper smiled.

OOOOOOOOO

She was reading Peter's book when he looked in on her. There was a tray on the stand by her bed, and she set the book aside, patting her bed in invitation.

"You're done already?" she asked.

"Yeah. I think Tony's arm was getting tired."

"Oh?"

Peter mimed clutching the dashboard in desperation, and she laughed.

"I'm getting better, though. Almost made it to forty."

"As long as you're having fun."

"I am. Hopefully Tony is, too."

"I bet he is."

He sat down and reached into his pocket. "I brought you a surprise," he told her as he handed her a small glass bottle that looked to be filled with lotion.

"Thank you."

"There was a fruit stand up the road a ways – a long ways – and Tony and I stopped there. Did you know Pepper is allergic to strawberries?"

"Yes."

"I didn't – but now I do _._ They make this stuff there. It's supposed to be special, and it smells pretty good. I thought you could give it a try. If you hate it, that's okay, too. We'll know for next time. If you like it, though, let me know and we'll get a bigger bottle for you."

She set it on her nightstand.

"Thank you, Peter."

"You're welcome. Are _you_ allergic to anything?"

"Not that I've ever found. You?"

"No."

"What are you doing today?"

"Homework. I want to get a couple of papers written, at least."

"Want your book back?"

"No. I'm not going to read it. Not right now, anyway. I'll take the zero on it, and do double the work on one of the others for extra credit. Do you need anything?"

"No. I'm good. Come by and keep me company later?"

"Sure. Thanks for letting me sleep with you."

She shook her head, bemused, and watched him leave, trying to remember if anyone had ever said that to her before. In any context. Then she went back to sleep.


	114. Chapter 114

Tony and Pepper were in the lounge playing cribbage when Strange came to find them. The Master of the Mystic Arts was carrying a newspaper under his arm. He stopped long enough to pour himself a cup of coffee at the bar and looked amused as he joined them at their corner table.

"Where's your boy?"

Stark looked up, clearly pleased at the question, and the reminder of the events of the day before.

"Where's your _cloak_?" he countered.

"I assume it went to find Peter."

"He's not in his quarters?" Pepper asked.

"No. The cloak went the opposite direction when it left me."

Stark frowned, but then shrugged. Friday would have alerted him if he was anywhere dangerous, and the boy wasn't a prisoner. He didn't have to stay in his room.

"If I need to, I'll go find him later."

"Did you see today's paper?" Strange asked, setting the paper on the table before taking a seat.

"Current affairs and financial sections," Pepper replied.

"I took Peter _driving_."

"Try the social pages."

Pepper opened the paper and took out the mentioned section and smiled, showing it to Tony. The front page had a photo of their car outside the garage at the tower. They were stopped and the back window was down, with Peter leaning partially out, getting rained on and handing a _very_ wet journalist an umbrella. The photo was crisp and clear, despite the gloom of the morning when it had been taken, and Peter's guileless expression was perfectly captured as far as Pepper was concerned.

"' _A bright ray of sunshine_ …'" Pepper read. " _Peter Parker takes the sharp edges off of Irondad…'"_

Stark frowned.

"They got his _name_?"

"Of _course_ they did," Stephen said, shrugging. "The picture at the restaurant went viral – someone was bound to recognize him and tell the press."

"I wanted to ease him into things," Tony said, scowling.

"He made a good impression," Strange assured him. "The article has a lot of information – how he lost his parents, then losing May recently and uncertainty where your connection with him comes from – but it reads as sympathetic and that's not easy to get from the press. You know that. They want to know who he is, but this picture already shows what kind of person he is."

Stark didn't look convinced, but Pepper patted his hand.

"It'll be fine, Tony. He'll have to meet them eventually and you know it. So does he."

"I wanted it to be on our terms."

"This is a good start," Pepper told him. "Believe me."

She was much better at handling the press than Tony was, and he knew it. Eventually he nodded, and they set the paper aside.

"Cribbage, Stephen?" Pepper asked.

"Certainly."

OOOOOOOO

Peter was sitting in the lounger out by the edge of the field, reading a book. He'd typed out two papers for his English class on his laptop in his room, but then had decided that he didn't want to stare at a screen any longer – at least not for a while. Aware that he wasn't really behind with the work, and wanting to keep it that way, he picked up _To Kill a Mockingbird_ and took it outside to read and get some fresh air. Despite his somewhat exciting driving lesson, he was still a little tired - lulled by the dullness of working on homework, and thought he might read himself to sleep. Since it wasn't raining out, he thought a nap outside wasn't a terrible idea.

He wasn't even through the second chapter when he felt a warning from his spider senses and a magical tingle at the same time and looked over toward the building just in time to see Dr. Strange's cloak soaring towards him. He set the book down before he dropped it, and the cloak wrapped itself around him, crooning cheerfully in his mind while it did its typical greeting, rubbing his hair, his cheeks and his ears until it seemed to assure itself that he was still in the same condition that he'd been in when it had last seen him.

Peter had a sudden insight that the cloak did that because everyone _else_ seemed to do it as well. Maybe that was the cloak's version of putting a hand against his forehead to check for fever?

There was an idle sense of agreement as the relic settled itself over his shoulders, and he reached for his book once more. He wanted to get a couple more chapters read, then he would go find something to eat and see if Tony or Pepper had anything they needed him to do.

OOOOOOOOO

They were well into their second game when Peter finally made an appearance in the lounge. The boy stopped at the entrance, with the cloak draped over his shoulder, and headed their way when he spotted them.

"Are you done for the day? Stark asked him as he sat down in the empty chair at the table.

"Yeah."

"Did you get anything done?" Pepper asked, well aware that he always felt behind, and knowing that if she could get him to tell her what he did, it would seem to be an accomplishment.

He nodded.

"Wrote two papers and started the new book."

"That's enough for the day," Stark said, not wanting him to stress.

"Yeah. I'm ready for a break."

He reached for the newspaper, having no desire to join their card game.

"You're famous," Strange told him.

All three watched his expression as he read the article about himself, but they didn't see any anxiety.

"We'll probably set up some kind of press conference," Pepper told him when he set that section aside and picked up the first one, instead. "Maybe have them choose up a few of their peers and invite the winners to a luncheon – to give them a chance to meet you, and _you_ a chance to meet them in a less formal setting."

"Okay."

"You'd be alright with that?" Stark asked.

The boy shrugged.

"If there wasn't a lot of them, all at once."

His casual acceptance was a relief for Tony, especially, and he went back to his card game while Peter flipped through the paper. He was aware enough of him, though, that he noticed almost immediately when Peter's expression changed and he focused on a particular story in one of the back pages of the section he'd been browsing through.

"What is it?" Stark asked, frowning because the boy's expression was almost stricken – not something he wanted to see now that it seemed that they were finally getting him over the worst of things.

"A guy was killed a few blocks from the apartment last night."

Which they all correctly assumed meant his old apartment.

"Someone you know?" Strange asked.

"No. But it happened when I would have been out, probably." Peter looked over at Tony. "I probably could have stopped it. I would have been right _there_ – or would have known I was needed and might have-"

" _Hey_." Tony could see the urgency rising in Peter's expression, and in his voice. He knew the boy was subject to panic attacks and recognized that that was what was happening. "You don't know that."

"I _do_. I should have been _there_. What am I _thinking_? I can't be here, hiding. I need to be _there_."

His hand jerked, and automatically flinched, his expression shocked as he looked down and opened his abruptly clenched fist. The teleportation stone that Stark had last seen in Romanoff's room was suddenly in his hand.

" _No_!" Tony snapped, standing up suddenly and recognizing immediately what was happening. " _Drop it, Peter_!"

The boy recoiled, and the stone clattered to the table, where Strange grabbed it. The cloak reacted, as well, wrapping itself tighter around Peter, trying to lend support.

Stark ignored the curious looks of the few other people in the lounge and put his hands on the boy's shoulders, forcing him to look at him.

"This is not on _you_ ," Tony told him, seriously, his eyes holding Peter's and his voice firm. "You can't do this to yourself."

"I should have been there, Tony."

"Where are you going to go?" Stark asked him, forcing his voice to register only calm, now that he had the boy looking at him.

"What?"

"Where are you _going_?"

"I don't know," Peter admitted.

"Take a breath." Peter obeyed, but the breath was shuddering, more of a gasping struggle for air. Tony moved his hands from the boy's shoulders to his face, cupping his cheeks with his palms. "Now take another."

The others at the table were silent while they watched as Stark brought Peter down from his panic, and his body relaxed marginally and now his breathing wasn't quite so stuttered.

"I'm sorry," the boy told him, miserably, trying to move his head so he could look away.

Tony held him firm, though. Gently keeping his attention on him and making sure he understood there was no recriminations.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"It's okay. I probably needed it."

"You can't be everywhere," Stark told him. "No more than I can take responsibility for not stopping all the bad things that happen near the tower. Understand?"

Peter nodded, and Tony pulled him into his arms, trying to soothe him that much more, if he could. The boy was still tense, but he held Stark for a long moment before pulling away.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Sit down, okay? Relax a little, and tell us about the paper you wrote."

He did what he was told, sitting back down and taking the cup of tea that Strange handed him. If he'd been older it would have been something much stronger, but the doctor was knowledgeable enough when it came to herbal teas that the one he handed the boy was going to calm him – and maybe even knock him out for a while to allow him a chance to get over his shock.

He put the teleportation stone in his pocket, but knew that he and Tony would definitely need to have a conversation about keeping Peter in his bed that night.


	115. Chapter 115

Peter's metabolism turned out to be stronger than Stephen's herbal tea. The boy didn't fall asleep, although he was drooping a bit by dinnertime. While the adults played cribbage, seemingly in no hurry to do anything other than simply be near him, he pulled out his book to read, well aware that it would relax him.

Every now and then Tony would reach out and absently brush a hand along his shoulder, or his cheek or his temple. He didn't say anything, but every time Peter looked up when he did it, Stark would give him an encouraging smile that would make the boy smile, too. Then he would return to his book until the next time.

Just before dinner, though, Peter saw Strange frown, his attention drawn to the entrance of the lounge, and he followed the doctor's gaze. And smiled when he saw Natasha walk into the room, wearing a pair of flannel lounge pants, a sweatshirt and a pair of slippers. She was moving slowly, but she was upright, and looked pleased to be on her feet.

Stephen got up immediately and walked over to give her his arm for support, and led her to the chair that he had abandoned. Before she sat down, though, Natasha put an arm around Peter from behind, and pulled his head back to press a kiss against his forehead, smiling when the cloak reached out and caressed her cheek by way of greeting.

"Are you supposed to be out of bed?" Pepper asked, concerned.

Romanoff looked pale and drawn, but she shrugged, nonchalantly.

'I've been doing nothing but sleeping."

"Which is exactly what you need to heal," Strange pointed out, pulling up another chair.

"And it's working."

She didn't mention going back to bed, and he didn't say another word, well aware that being out of bed wouldn't hurt her – he just didn't like that she hadn't let him help her to the lounge. Besides, he knew that nothing he said would make her to do something if she didn't want to do it. He wasn't worried, though. If she started to droop, he'd turn Peter loose on her to send her back to bed.

Natasha would do anything _Peter_ asked, and Strange knew it. Even better, _she_ knew it as well, although the boy himself seemed mostly oblivious to it.

Tony poked Peter in the side.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yeah."

"Go let them know we're ready to eat, will you?"

He nodded and got to his feet and headed to the bar, and while he was amicably chatting with the bartender about what was on the menu, Stark told Natasha about the news article that had triggered Peter's panic attack. Her expression didn't show any of the concern she probably felt, though – she was far too skilled at what she did to allow emotions to show if she didn't want them to.

"I'll keep him in bed," she assured them, simply.

None of them doubted that for an instant.

By the time Peter returned, though, the topic was on the other article, and the photo that was probably going to make him famous. Natasha held it up, giving him an amused smile as he sat back down and he blushed.

"I just didn't want him to get rained on – and none of the others were sharing theirs with him."

"It was sweet."

His blush only deepened, and he smiled, because he knew she was doing it on purpose just to see how red he could get and it was working despite his best efforts.

In the interest in keeping Natasha from moving around too much, they played Monopoly when they were finished eating. Peter lost his money and his properties quickly and was out. He didn't mind. He watched the game continue, but pulled his book out to keep himself occupied in between the exciting stuff. The others lasted much longer and it was well into the evening before Pepper took the victory, trying to hide a smug smile when Tony admitted that he had to default on a loan she made him when an unlucky roll of the die landed him on her railroad.

"Bedtime," Stark declared.

The others agreed, and Natasha looked over at Peter.

"I want you to sleep with me tonight, okay?"

He set down his book, curious. Not that he wouldn't probably end up in her bed, anyway, but they usually at least tried to start him in his _own_ , first. He was smart, though, and figured it out almost immediately.

"You're worried I'll sleepwalk?" he asked, not _Natasha_ , but Tony.

"No," Tony told him. "We can live with the sleepwalking. It's almost always harmless – and sometimes I almost _enjoy_ trying to figure out what is going on in your head that makes you do the things that you end up doing – like making _77_ martinis, but not drinking a single one. It's the teleporting rock that scares the liver out of me. If you end up telling it to take you somewhere – like in the city – I wouldn't be able to get there immediately, and you could get hurt."

"Since you'd almost certainly end up in my bed, anyway – at least if it's a _regular_ sleepwalking issue – then it's better to start you there and hope your subconscious mind will keep you with me." She smiled. "Besides, I like your company. _You_ don't steal the covers."

Strange rolled his eyes, and Tony caught the expression, even though he was the only one who did.

"You understand?" he asked, filing the whole stealing the blankets thing in the back of his mind to be brought up later when he wanted to annoy or tease Stephen.

Peter nodded.

"Yeah. Of course. I don't want to hurt anyone, either…"

And who knew what he might do?

"I'm going to stick around, too," Strange told him. "Just in case."

"If something _does_ happen, Stephen can get us to you faster than I could by going Ironman."

"It's a lot of bother," Peter told them, feeling guilty for causing so much trouble. "I don't mean to be-"

"We _talked_ about this, Peter," Natasha reminded him, gently. "Would you do it for any of us?"

"Yes."

"Of course you would," Tony told him, decisively. "You're my _bright ray of sunshine_ …"

Peter caught the reference to the news article immediately, and it made him smile – like Stark had hoped it would. Besides, he knew Natasha was right. He would do anything for any of them. And it was hardly a sacrifice to be told that they wanted him sleeping with her.

"Okay."

"Good. Thank you."

He wondered if he really should say _you're welcome_ – again, he wasn't really doing _them_ the favor, they were all going out of their way to help him. Like he would do for them, he reminded himself before Natasha could.

"Stephen's going to help me to bed," Romanoff told him. "When _you're_ ready, come find me, okay?"

"I will."

They watched as she got up, moving a little slowly since being in the same position for so long had made her a little stiff and sore. Strange offered her his arm and rather than move them magically, he walked her out of the room. The cloak, however, stayed with Peter.

"It _is_ a lot of hassle," he said, once they were gone.

Tony shrugged, but didn't deny it.

"We love you. We'd do a lot more if we knew what would help."

"I wish I could make it stop."

Pepper stood up and moved to stand beside his chair, putting her arms around him and waiting for him to hug her back, even though it wasn't the most comfortable of positions.

"If I had a dollar for every time I told my folks that when _I_ was doing it," she told him, kissing the top of his head. "Momma would have a fishing boat of her own."

Peter smiled, and rested his head against her for a moment, taking solace in the fact that she really did understand what he was going through.

"Thanks, Pepper."

"You're welcome, Sunshine."

When she let him go he got up.

"Don't _stress_ this, Peter. Okay?" Stark told him. "It's _serious_ , yes, but we're the _Avengers_ , right? We'll get through it. Together."

"I'll try not to," he promised.

"In the interest of protecting Natasha's modesty, I'm not going to offer to tuck you in."

The boy smiled at that, and Tony hugged him, his hand holding Peter's head tightly up against his, cheek to cheek with him.

"I'm too old to be tucked in," he reminded him.

"There are some things you're never too old for." Tony let him go, and then gave him a push toward the exit. "Go to bed, okay? We'll go driving in the morning."

Peter nodded and left them, looking relieved more than stressed, and Pepper sidled up against Tony to be held.

"Poor baby."

"He'll be fine."

"I meant _you_. Two driving lessons in _two days_?"

OOOOOOO

Natasha felt him starting to get restless somewhere near three in the morning. He was normally a quiet sleeper; she'd meant it when she'd told him he was comfortable to sleep with, but he mumbled something in his sleep, suddenly, as if he was having a conversation with someone, and was tense, moving away from the shared warmth of her body, just a little.

They'd gone to sleep with one of his hands tucked under her side, flat – working on the premise that if he didn't close his fist over the stone, it couldn't transport him anywhere. The other hand was in its customary position flat against her stomach, with his cheek against her collarbone and her arms around him. The Cloak of Levitation was still with him, too, draped over the two of them, and humming a constant gentle lullaby into his mind.

"Natasha?" he murmured, his hand moving slightly against her stomach, fingers closing into a fist.

"I'm here, Baby…"

"I should be saving the world."

She shifted just enough to brush a hand against his cheek, and then moved her hand, gently taking the stone that was suddenly between his hand and her stomach from him, putting it on her nightstand before putting her hand over his own, holding it flat once more.

"I need you _here_ ," she told him, softly. "With me."

He was quiet for a long moment, and then he sighed, and tucked against her once more, his entire being emanating relaxation and serenity.

"Okay."


	116. Chapter 116

"Here, give me Jack."

"She's going to _kill_ you."

"You only live once."

Natasha opened her eyes just as Barton put the chocolate lab puppy in her bed with her, and moved her head just in time to avoid the wicked fast tongue, which had been aiming for her face, but ended up licking her neck instead.

She caught him in her arms to settle him and looked over at Clint and Steve – and then realized that Peter was gone, and Stephen was lounging beside her on the other side of the bed. He was awake, and watching the interaction between the three Avengers, with the cloak of levitation on the far side of him, clearly staying clear of Jack's sharp little teeth. Natasha decided that she must have been pretty well medicated to miss Peter leaving and Stephen taking his place. Or just really _tired_.

"Don't you guys have work you should be doing?"

Barton shook his head with a grin.

"Nope. We took the morning off to come have breakfast with you."

"Where's Peter?"

"He went with Tony to drive Pepper into the city, then they will have a driving lesson."

"He stayed with you all night?" Steve asked, picking up Jack to free the space for Barton to put a breakfast tray across her lap. There was enough food for all four of them, but if Jack had his way it all would have been his.

"Yes." She reached over and picked up the rock from the nightstand and handed it to Strange. "He told me that he should be out saving the world, but he never left."

"Good."

Strange pocketed the stone, and shook his head.

"When did he decide that saving the word was his responsibility?"

Natasha smiled.

"He once told Tony that if you can do the things that he can do, and you don't, and bad things happen, then it's your fault that they happened. Or something like that."

"That's a lot of responsibility for a fifteen year old to try and shoulder."

"Yes," Steve agreed. "But I can't fault his mindset."

He was pretty much the same way.

"Let's eat, Nat," Clint told her, settling himself on the edge of her bed and watching as Steve pulled up a chair. "You have a busy day of _sleeping_ ahead of you. You need your strength."

She debated tossing him out of her bed, but she didn't want to risk spilling her breakfast, so she let it slide. Besides, the company was good.

OOOOOOOOO

They dropped Pepper off and Peter and Tony both walked her to the elevator. Both were rewarded with a kiss and a hug – although Peter's kiss was on the cheek, and Tony made sure that his was not.

"I'll bring the VR things home with me tonight," Pepper promised Peter. "That way you can get a jump on Ned trying it out."

He smiled at that and shook his head.

"He'll still know more about it right out of the package."

They waited until the elevator doors closed, and then got back in the car and headed for the street. The door opened, though, and one of the reporters stepped in front of the car before Tony could do more than clear the door. Stark stopped the car and both of them realized at the same time that the man was holding the umbrella that Peter had loaned out. He looked a lot less miserable as he walked over to the window that Peter rolled down.

The rest of the journalist and photographers snapped pictures as the man handed the boy his umbrella.

"Thanks for the loan."

Peter smiled.

"You're welcome."

The man looked beyond Peter and over at Tony, who was watching the exchange carefully, as if he expected the journalist to yank Peter out of the car and run off with him. Which of course, would have been foolish all the way around.

"When do we get to have a sit down with Peter, Mr. Stark?"

"Pepper's going to set something up for early next week. We don't want to overwhelm him."

"Am I invited?"

"Tell Pepper I said you are."

He rolled up Peter's window, recognizing that the other reporters were starting to gather close, realizing that there was more of a conversation going on than just a return of the umbrella. Tony waited until they were all out of the way and then pulled onto the street.

OOOOOOO

When they were out of the city, Stark pulled over at a gas station and traded spots with Peter, allowing the boy to drive them the rest of the way back to the compound. The sedan was an automatic, so the drive wasn't quite as nerve-wracking and Tony was willing to even hold a conversation.

"Homework when we get back?"

"Yeah. Unless there's something that you need me to do?"

"Not today. I'm going to work on a campaign for this weekend if you and Ned can pull yourselves from the VR stuff long enough to play some D&D."

"Sounds great."

"Does MJ play?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I'll call Ned and ask."

"Why not just call _her_?"

Peter looked over at him for the quickest of moments before jerking his attention back to the road.

"Do you think I should?"

"Why not?"

He smiled when he saw Peter blush, and the boy's hands tightened on the steering wheel. He didn't take his eyes off the road, though.

"I don't know. Because she might be _busy_ , or something…"

"Just call her, Peter. She probably won't be that busy."

"Okay."

Tony would know better than he would, he supposed. Peter was well aware of the fact that he knew nothing about the habits of girls.

OOOOOOOO

It was just before lunch when Peter walked into the lounge, feeling self-satisfied and not even trying to hide it. He saw Clint and Steve sitting at a table and walked over, wondering if they were doing Avengers stuff or if it was something he could join them. The smile Clint flashed when they looked up told him that he was welcomed and Steve pushed a chair out with his foot in silent invitation.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing _homework_?" Barton asked.

"I _finished_ it."

" _All_ of it?"

"Yup."

"Everything?"

Peter grinned.

"Yup. Everything."

"Good job, Peter," Steve told him. "Now you can relax for a bit."

"Yeah. What are you guys doing?"

"The tow truck is coming for Natasha's car today. We wanted to make sure they take the car to the right shop and get the insurance company involved in the repair process."

"Did you get her knives out of the glove box?" Peter asked, remembering that the knives had been the whole reason for their trip in the first place.

"No. What kind of knives?" Steve asked.

"Some throwing knives she ordered. We just picked them up and were heading back here when we were attacked."

"I'll go get them," Steve said, getting up.

He left and Clint pushed the papers that he and Steve had been looking at aside.

"So? Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah. If I could get over the sleepwalking thing, I'd be better."

"We're probably going at it all wrong. Instead of having you sleep with Nat to keep you in bed, we should set up some sumo wrestler or something to sleep _on_ you at night – I imagine that would keep you in bed."

Peter smiled at that.

"I'd rather stick with Natasha."

"I bet."

"Besides, a sumo guy couldn't keep me in bed. I could bench him."

"You're _strong_ , but those guys are pretty big and you're pretty puny."

Peter shrugged, feeling just a little cocky.

"Stronger than _you_."

"Oh, it's _on_."

Barton held his hand out, obviously challenging Peter to an arm wrestling contest, and the boy grinned and accepted. A moment later, Barton's hand was on the table.

"Told you."

"I wasn't ready."

He held the hand out again, and Peter beat him just as quickly.

"Maybe your _daughter_ could give you some pointers," the boy told him, impertinently.

"Again."

When Steve walked in, the small bundle of throwing knives in hand, Barton and Peter were still at the table, arm wrestling. As he went over and watched, Barton's hand was pinned to the table.

" _Twenty one_ ," Peter said.

"What's this?"

"Oh, _now_ you're in for it, Peter," Clint said, shaking his hand to get the feeling back in it and standing up. "Steve? Show him he's not as strong as he thinks he is, will you?"

Rogers smiled.

"He's _pretty_ strong."

"Are you _chicken_?" Barton asked, clearly goading Steve into the arm wrestling match. "Peter's a little guy. Pretty much a weenie. You can take him."

"Fine."

Rogers smiled at Peter and sat down in the chair Clint vacated, across from Peter.

"You ready?"

Arm wrestling with _Captain America_? Peter shook his head, amazed as he always was when he realized that he was doing something so casual with one of them.

"Sure."

He took hold of Steve's hand, and Clint waited until they were set.

"Go!"

OOOOOOOO

Tony Stark frowned when he walked into the lounge about twenty minutes later with Stephen Strange beside him. Steve and Peter were sitting at a table, arm wrestling – _maybe_? – and Clint Barton was sitting nearby, playing Solitaire. The two contestants were fairly well focused on each other and didn't look up when Stark arrived, so Tony looked at Barton.

"What are they _doing_?"

"Arm wrestling." He made a show of looking at his watch. "For the last _fifteen minutes_."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

He looked over at them, again. Steve's right arm was fully flexed, his bicep straining against the fabric of the shirt he was wearing, and his eyes locked on Peter's, clearly enjoying himself and the competition. Peter was also concentrating, and was grinning in excitement – probably at having someone to actually challenge his strength – but his sweatshirt was so loose that if his arm was flexed, no one could tell.

"Who's winning?"

"Beats me."

Tony hesitated, and then shrugged.

"Lunch?"

"Yeah."


	117. Chapter 117

Stark scowled, looking from his lunch over at the two at the table beside him and Clint.

"Come on guys. _Really_? How long are you going to keep this up?"

"I could do this all day," Steve replied, still locked on Peter's gaze and grinning almost like a little boy, clearly pleased at the match up the boy was giving him.

It was fun to be challenged – as long as it wasn't by someone shooting at you – and it didn't happen to Rogers very often. The fact that it was a fifteen year old doing the challenging? That was just that much better.

Peter's smile was equally happy.

"Me, too."

"Call it a draw or you're _grounded_."

"Which one?" Clint asked, curiously, munching on a French fry. "Steve or Peter?"

"Both."

He could do that, right? It was probably somewhere in all the papers that he had signed. _Any_ dad could ground _anyone_. It was probably an unwritten rule. He'd check with Pepper.

Rogers looked over at Stark, and then back to Peter and shrugged.

"Draw for now?"

"Yeah."

The burgers that had been delivered to Clint and Tony smelled pretty good, and they were both hungry.

They relaxed at the same time and then let go, but were still smiling as they rubbed their hands, which ached a bit from being clenched like they had for so long.

"It's not _over_ ," Steve warned Peter, ruffling his hair.

"Okay."

"Go order some lunch," Tony told Peter, amused at how happy he looked at the interaction with Steve.

Of course, it was _Captain America_ and all that, but Stark knew Peter genuinely enjoyed the fact that he was hanging out with them. It wasn't _just_ hero worship – although there was almost certainly a fair amount of that, too – he knew Peter liked being pulled into any activity with the Avengers, even when it was something as dull as washing the Quinjet. Arm wrestling with Steve? How could he _not_ be happy?

Peter nodded.

"Get me a burger, too, will you, Peter?" Rogers asked as he pulled their chairs over to the table Clint and Tony were sitting at.

The boy waved to show he'd heard him and the bartender walked over to where he was standing.

"Were you letting him win?" Clint asked, curiously.

"He wasn't _winning_. It was a _draw_ , remember?"

"Were you letting him _draw_?"

"No. I wasn't trying to hurt him, of course, so I was being careful _to start_ , but I couldn't pin him."

"Really?"

"He's strong." Rogers shrugged, and then poked Barton's chest, amused, still. "You'd better be careful, wrestling with him like you do. He could probably toss you off the planet."

Clint smiled, too, and shook his head.

"He wouldn't do that."

"No."

The bartender took Peter's order for the two burgers and all that went with it and returned a minute later and poured him a cola.

"Who won?" she asked, curiously.

Peter smiled and thanked her. He was finding that the Avengers weren't the only people at the compound that he could talk to. The bartender was someone that he saw a lot of – which made sense, considering how much time he spent in the lounge, either alone or with the others – and she was open and friendly. Which he supposed was a good character trait for a bartender.

"We _tied_."

'You'll get him next time," she assured him.

Peter returned and sat in the chair Steve had moved for him.

"Did you get any homework done?" Tony asked, curiously.

"Yeah. It's _all_ done."

"Really? Great." Stark leaned over and hit the boy's shoulder, feeling a bit cheerful, himself. One less thing for Peter to worry about. "What on _Earth_ are you going to do with yourself now that you don't have _that_ hanging over your head?"

Peter smiled, well aware that Tony was teasing him.

"I could sit around in my room, wearing just my underwear, watching TV and playing video games and try to grow a mustache."

Clint snorted.

"Or we could go on a _road trip_ ," Barton said. "Steve and I haven't been for a ride in your Pontiac, yet. You've got enough lessons under your belt, now, that it's not a risk to the car. Why not take us for a spin?"

Peter hesitated, looking over at Stark, who shrugged in reply to the question he saw in the boy's expression.

"He's right. You're _going_ to want to drive it, right? You got us home without any problems. I think you'd do fine."

"Okay. Yeah."

He _was_ going to be driving it eventually, after all. It was way too awesome a car to allow it to sit in the garage all the time. And Tony was right, they made it home with no problems, and he was much more comfortable behind the wheel.

Clint looked at Steve, obviously waiting for him to agree, and he nodded.

"Let me find Bruce so he can watch Jack for me."

"After we eat," Tony said.

OOOOOOOOO

" _Agent Romanoff…"_

Natasha looked up from the movie she was only somewhat watching and looked over at her bedroom door. Suddenly there was a medium sized brown teddy bear peeking around the corner at her, its button eyes looking right at the bed – and her.

"I'm _lonely_ and need a cuddle buddy…"

It was obviously Clint's voice, and she smiled. Before she could say anything, though, another bear appeared just underneath the first. This one was black, and was tilted upward just a little, to make it look like it was talking to the first one.

" _I'm_ not good enough to be a cuddle buddy?"

That voice was clearly Peter's, although was trying to make it deeper.

" _You're_ not a secret agent. Spies are _cuddlier_ than normal folks," the first bear replied, once more in Clint's slightly distorted voice.

Another bear showed at the doorway, this one popping in right above the first one. It was light blue and wearing a red, white and blue bandana around its neck.

"It's _women_ that are cuddlier," this bear told them – using a voice that was badly disguised and obviously Steve's. "Spies have too many edges to be soft and cuddly."

There was a pause, and she heard a muffled voice – probably Clint's – and then an equally muffled reply, followed by a quick exchange of indiscernible whispers, clearly disgruntled, followed by an exaggerated sigh before yet another bear showed up around the doorway, under Peter's. This one was a green bear, just a little bigger than the other three.

"I'm just here because they _made_ me come…"

That voice was Tony, and he didn't even try to disguise it. Natasha laughed, and the bears were joined by their counterparts, who all entered her bedroom, looking cheerful as they walked over to her bed and settled the bears around her before finding places to sit – either in the chairs or on the edge of her bed.

"Where have you guys been?" she asked, picking up the black bear that Peter had placed beside her.

"Peter took us for a ride in his car," Clint told her, looking smug. "We went on a _Bro-trip_."

"Really?" she looked at the boy, raising an eyebrow. " _You_ drove it?"

He nodded, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"Yeah."

"He did great, too," Steve said. "It's a sweet ride, Natasha. Get yourself better so you can go, next time."

She smiled at how cheerful the group was – even Tony, who didn't often show the playful side of his nature. She knew that was almost always reserved for Pepper – and now Peter, as well.

"I'm waiting for him to get his license so he can take me by himself," Romanoff told Clint. "That way I don't have to sit in the back."


	118. Chapter 118

Tony and Peter were waiting for Pepper when she pulled into the garage later in the day. She parked next to where they were standing, leaning against Peter's car, and smiled when Tony opened the door and greeted her with a kiss.

"I could get used to this," she told them both.

"What's that?" Stark asked, curiously – although he _thought_ he knew.

"Having two handsome fellows waiting for me whenever I get home."

Peter blushed, which only made her smile grow, and she hit the button on her key fob that opened the trunk of the car.

"The VR prototypes are in the trunk. If you bring them with us, you and Tony can try them out for me after we eat."

"Sweet."

Peter went around to the trunk and saw that there were a few boxes that would need to be carried. Nothing too heavy, he found, but somewhat bulky.

"Need help?" Stark asked.

"I could make more than one trip."

"Or I can _help_ you."

With both of them loaded down with boxes, and Pepper holding the doors for them, they went to Stark's quarters. Pepper dropped off her work things and the two set their boxes down on a convenient table.

"We could take a peek, _now_ ," Tony said to Peter, resting a hand on one of the boxes. "Just to see what it'll require."

"No. Because then you'll want to play with it and I'll end up eating alone – or waiting until after midnight. Neither idea appeals to me."

She knew him very well, after all. He scowled, but she ignored that, amused. Instead she looked at Peter.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go eat."

They went to the lounge for their dinner, and Peter told her about his day, the drive in the Pontiac and surprising Natasha with the teddy bears and finishing the mountain of homework that had once been so daunting.

"We're caught up, then?" she asked as they sat down in their corner table.

Tony stopped at the bar long enough to request dinner for them and to get Pepper a cup of coffee and a drink for himself.

"Yeah."

"Good."

"You didn't tell her about arm wrestling Steve," Tony pointed out when he sat down, too.

Pepper cocked an eyebrow, taking her coffee from him with a smile of thanks

"Did you win?"

"We _tied_ ," Peter told her. "But I think he was letting me… he's pretty strong."

"He said the same thing about you," Stark said.

"There's plenty of time for a rematch."

They talked about _her_ day, as well, while they ate. Peter realized that although it was something that they were doing in the Avenger's compound, having a sit down dinner was a very family type thing to do. It was homey, and relaxing, and it made him feel like he truly was a part of the family. True, he and Tony had a piece of paper that said the same thing, but this was much more real to him. It made it real for him.

It felt good. And right.

He listened as Pepper told Tony about some of the things that he needed to know from various phone calls and meetings, wrapping up what was almost a debriefing of her own as they finished eating. He didn't understand any of it, really, and didn't know any of the people that they were discussing.

"I'm going to set up that press luncheon for Monday," she said, breaking into Peter's reverie. "How many people do you think you'd be comfortable with?"

He shrugged, completely unable to give a number.

"It would depend on how pushy they were, I guess."

He'd seen movies and TV shows where the press would crowd the person they were trying to interview. Peter knew that he didn't have the outgoing personality that Tony did when it came to that kind of thing. Stark would wallow and even thrive with that sort of attention, Peter was well aware that he would not.

"They won't be pushy at all," Pepper assured him. "It'll be like this; sitting down and eating, with them asking questions in a reasonable fashion – with Happy standing nearby in case someone decides to get a little overzealous."

"Ten?"

"We'll make it _five_ ," Pepper decided, pleased that he hadn't looked panicked by the idea. "What the press will do is decide who they want to send. The answers you give, and any photos and video we allow them to take will be shared among all of them – and the ones that don't get to come."

"It's called pooling," Tony told him. "They do it all the time."

"And it will make sure that no one makes anything up to try and sensationalize your interview," Pepper added.

"Okay."

"We're settled?" Tony asked.

Pepper nodded.

"I think so."

"Great. Let's go try out that VR stuff."

She rolled her eyes, but knew that he could be single minded – pretty much all the time, for that matter.

"Fine."

OOOOOOOOOO

A gentle hand cupping her cheek woke her, and an amused voice made her open her eyes.

"Where did you get all the company?"

Natasha smiled up at Stephen, catching his hand in her own before looking at the bears that were gathered on her bed with her.

"Peter took the guys for a ride in his car. I'm not sure where they found them, but they each brought me back one."

"Did he drive?" Strange asked, moving the black bear from her side and sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. "Or did Tony?"

"No, it was Peter. Clint called it a Bro-trip. You should have been here. You could have gone with them, and I'd have another bear for my bed."

A bear suddenly appeared in his hand. A pristine white one, wearing a bow tie and a slight smile. He handed it to her and kissed her.

"I've _had_ a ride in his car," he reminded her. "Although it will be more entertaining when he's the one doing the driving."

"That's what _I'm_ waiting for," she said.

Of course, being stuck in bed was keeping her from going for a ride anyway, but he didn't have his license, yet, anyway.

"Where is he?"

She smiled.

"Pepper brought in some new VR tech. When he came to check on me a little bit ago, he told me that they would be in Tony's workroom, trying it out."

"Oh?" he kissed her, again, a little more seriously. "That's good. Where are the _others_?"

She smiled, well aware what he was asking – and _why_ – and more than willing to fool around a little. As much as her sore ribs would allow, at any rate.

"No clue. Lock the door. They'll get the hint."

She faintly heard the outer door to her quarters close, then, and he leaned into her with a smile, the bears being shifted to one side as Strange slid his hand under her blankets and along her bandaged side, chuckling gently when he found bare skin.

"What a great idea…"

OOOOOOO

"This probably _isn't_ a good idea," Pepper said, well aware that neither of them could hear her.

The entire living area had been cleared. Couches and coffee tables all pushed against on wall or another – or the bar – to give Peter and Tony plenty of room. She was sitting on a bar stool – behind the bar – and the other two had pulled all of the VR gear out of the boxes, tossed the directions aside and had immediately uploaded the program into the room's network

It had taken Friday less than fifteen minutes to announce a menu of video game scenarios that were available, and Peter and Tony had only deliberated for a moment before deciding that they would start with a program designed to turn them into instant Jedi masters. The VR headgear went on – effectively blocking their eyes and activating the gameplay and the in game communications system. Thanks to Friday, Pepper was able to hear what was being said, but it was only a lot of _turn to the dark side_ and _you're not my father_ and all kinds of other lines that she knew meant a lot more to her nerd boyfriend and his adopted son than to her.

She didn't mind that, though. When they started swinging imaginary lightsabers at each other, and twirling around and chasing each other in circles, she was a little more certain that this particular program might be something that should be played out of doors – or maybe in the gym.

The first time a vase of flowers went flying – sent by a misdirected swing of Peter's 'sword', she was almost positive. A few minutes later, Tony took out a bottle of his favorite scotch – _and_ almost took Pepper's coffee cup with it. Then she was absolutely certain.

They were enjoying themselves, though, she could tell. Instead of being the responsible one and putting an end to the battle, she simply picked up her coffee – and the pot that had the rest of it in it – and moved her stool further against the wall and out of range.

Whatever made them happy.


	119. Chapter 119

It was extremely late by the time they pulled off the VR headsets and reluctantly called it a night.

Pepper was sitting in one of the comfortable chairs working on her laptop and nursing a glass of wine instead of the coffee that she had been, and smiled at the way the two looked around the room, taking in some of the damage that had been caused in the execution of their playdate.

The Jedi game had admittedly done the most damage, because it was the most interactive and required the most room for running around, dodging and swinging the little stubby controllers that translated into swords in the Jedi game, and would be used as guns, tennis racquets or paddles depending on the other games being played at the time.

When they'd grown tired of whacking at each other with glowing sticks, the two had convinced Pepper to VR mini golf with them – to make sure she actually used the technology herself and could give a fair assessment of its capabilities and smoothness of transfer rate. She was glad that she did; it had been fun. She figured a real putt putt game would be something fun, too, and not something that she and Tony normally enjoyed doing.

With the addition of Peter in their lives, however, something like that would be more entertaining, she was sure.

The interesting thing about the VR gameplay – _she_ discovered it in putt putt and Tony found it immediately in the Jedi game – was that Peter's natural coordination and abilities didn't translate over, so he was no better than anyone else when it came to the games. The VR system couldn't react as quickly as he did – Tony explained to her that the quantum mechanics just weren't there, yet – and might not be for a long while. It wasn't a failing of the system, he assured her. It just was technology proving it wasn't quite as good as the real thing just yet.

Which was fine with Peter; he smiled with Tony when Pepper preened after beating the two of them at mini golf quite soundly.

After the golf, he and Tony had switched to a combat game, taking on a group of NPC terrorists in a block to block battle for control of a made up town in Nebraska. Eventually, this would end up being something that could be networked, like Call of Duty or any of the computer MMORPGs and had a capability of being a battle between Peter and Tony in New York going against a team of people from anywhere else in the world. For now, with the prototypes, they were limited to playing against the computer.

Peter wondered aloud if Friday could make them even better NPCs than the game system could and Tony assured him that it was entirely possible – but not something that he cared to try out. They already had Vision, they didn't need any AIs running around, even in a virtual world.

"It's late," Tony said, finally, picking up a table that Peter had overturned trying to back away from a firefight in Corncobb, Nebraska. "We'll play again later – or when Ned and MJ get here."

"So it's a success, so far?" Pepper asked, figuring she already knew the answer – but also recognizing issues that would need to be addressed within the system.

"Yeah," Peter told her, setting don the headset, and looking to see how many there were in the boxes. "It's fun."

"And this is just the video game part," Pepper reminded him. "There are interactive movies, as well – I'm told it's kind of a _choose your own_ _adventure_ type thing. Maybe you and your friends can try it out this weekend."

"Unless it's _porn_ ," Tony said, joking, but then realizing that there was no reason there couldn't be an application for that as well.

Peter blushed, but smiled.

"Right."

"You can clean this mess up later," Pepper told them, looking at the rest of the overturned furniture. "I think we'll suggest that you guys don't play any of these in your quarters. It's wireless, will it reach the gyms?"

"Easily," Tony assured her. He looked at his watch, and then at Peter. "You're going to go sleep with Natasha?"

The sleepwalking concern was never completely out of his mind, obviously.

"Yeah."

Pepper hugged him, wondering how long it would be until he decided that he didn't need a goodnight hug – and hoping it wouldn't be any time too soon.

"I'm going to work from here tomorrow, I think, so don't get up early thinking we are going to drive into the city in the morning. We can go if you have something you want to do there, but as late as it is, I'm not getting up in three hours and expecting to get anything done."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

They watched him leave, and she turned to Tony.

" _Porn_? Really?"

He shrugged, giving her an innocent look that was contradicted by the amused gleam in his eyes.

"Just putting it out there, dear. If it's in there, he'll _find_ it. And if he doesn't, you can be sure that _Ned_ will."

"Put the controllers and headsets on the chargers and let's go to bed."

She'd call in to the company that was producing the VR equipment in the morning sometime and ask them about that possibility before Ned showed up. Tony was right, after all.

OOOOOOO

The door to Natasha's quarters was closed when Peter went by a few minutes later on his way to his own rooms to get ready for bed. He tried the handle, absently, and found it locked, and decided that she had probably been doing something that she didn't want to be interrupted during –or _someone_ , his adolescent male mind added in almost automatically – which made him grin. He didn't mind at all, of course. He was well aware that she wasn't made of ice, and that intimacy was something she needed and wasn't going to be able to get from him. He loved her, but like they'd discussed before, he wasn't going to be a lover for her.

He just wasn't man enough for someone like her, he figured. Probably not really man enough for anyone, just yet. Although he'd never admit that to _anyone_ , of course. He had a male ego to stoke. It wasn't very well defined, yet, but it was still _there_. Not even Dr. Bird would get that admission out of him.

At the moment, though, the locked door was a bit of a problem. Not for _her_ , of course, but for him, and he _did_ have to admit he was somewhat stymied as he let himself into his own quarters and closed the door, softly.

Peter knew that Natasha was his best chance of not sleepwalking. She'd kept him in bed the night before, after all, and he'd even ended up with the rock and still hadn't used it. He knew that _he_ wasn't summoning it – he and Wong had experimented with that – but that didn't mean that it wouldn't still come to him, and that he wouldn't _use_ it if the opportunity presented itself.

He looked at his watch. It was almost two in the morning. He could go tell Tony what was going on so he could sleep in their rooms – which would wake them up if they'd already gone to bed, and even worse, would open Natasha for some serious teasing. Not something he wanted. He could just try to tough it out and sleep in his own bed – maybe put a rolled up sock in his hand to keep himself from making a fist around the stone if it came to him in his sleep. That wasn't a terrible idea, but not one that he wanted to experiment with on his own.

Instead, he decided to just stay up. He couldn't sleepwalk if he wasn't sleeping, after all, and as late as it already was, it wouldn't be that long.

He didn't watch a movie or read – both of those were sure fired ways to fall asleep, really, and he knew it. Obviously he wasn't going to go outside, since that would set off Friday, and would wake Tony, who would come looking for him, thinking that he was sleepwalking. Really, it was a toss-up between something physical – which at this hour meant the _gym_ – or going to the lounge and trying to keep awake by playing chess or Solitaire or something.

He opted for the gym.

Wearing sweats and a t-shirt, with his headphones in his ears and a musical playlist from his phone keeping him company, Peter went to the gym, knowing that he was going to be far enough away from everyone to not disturb them, no matter what he did. He picked up a basketball and played HORSE with himself, amazed as always by just how easy even the most difficult of shots were for him.

It never got old, really. And for the moment, it wasn't boring.

OOOOOOOO

It was Natasha who came looking for him.

She'd woken with a start from a dream about Peter trying to decide how to keep awake and had sat up so quickly that she could feel a tinge of irritation in those somewhat healed ribs of hers. Looking at her clock, she realized that it was very late. Looking at her bed, she realized that it was empty - aside from five teddy bears. In her dream he'd found her door locked and had gone to play ball by himself in the gym rather than wake anyone up.

Natasha wondered if Stephen had remembered to unlock her door after they'd finally called a halt to what had been a fun make out session – but not much more than that since her ribs just wouldn't allow any real shenanigans just yet. It wasn't like he needed to use the door to _leave_ , after all. Assuming that her subconscious mind was working overtime, she got carefully out of bed and went to check.

Sure enough, it was locked.

Walking on bare feet, she went to his room next door to check on him and found it empty. Worried, now, but aware that if something had happened to him, _Tony_ would know and would let her know, Romanoff hesitated, wondering if she should go check the gym. The dream had been so specific.

Well aware that listening to her own instincts had kept her alive for this long, she did just that, working her way to the basketball gym and finding it silent, but not empty, despite the early hour. Peter was sitting on one of the bottom bleachers that lined the far wall, a basketball in his lap and his head resting on it, drowsing.

She walked over and sat down beside him, brushing the back of her hand against his cheek when she did. He opened his eyes, startled, and she realized that he must have been more asleep than awake, or she would not have been able to sneak up on him like that. He pulled an earbug out of his ear, and she could faintly hear Billy Joel singing about pianos.

"Hi, baby," she told him, softly, not wanting to startle him further – just in case he was sleepwalking. Or sleep _playing_? Sleep _napping_? Whatever it was.

"Hi…"

"What's the closest planet to the sun?"

"What?"

She smiled, tenderly.

"Come on. You know, or you don't."

"Mercury."

"Good." She rubbed his shoulder. "You found my door locked?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry. I forgot to unlock it."

He smiled, sleepily, and shook his head.

"You're allowed to have some time to yourself," he said, sitting up, proving to her that he almost certainly understood _why_ it had been locked in the first place.

"Come on," she told him. "It's late and I'm cold. Walk me back to my room and let's get some sleep."

"It's okay?"

She nodded.

"Of course it is."

He stood up, first, offering her a helping hand to protect her sore ribs, and they went to bed.


	120. Chapter 120

Peter dragged himself out of bed fairly early considering how late he'd gone to sleep. Not that he really _wanted_ to, but the doctors wanted to check Natasha's progress, and that was difficult to do with a kid sleeping with his nose buried against her side. Well aware that he was tired – and feeling responsible for it since she'd locked him out – Natasha had tried to tell them that it could wait, but Peter wasn't willing to be in the way of getting her better and had told her that he was ready to get himself up, anyway.

He'd pressed a kiss against her cheek, told her he'd come back and check on her later and rolled himself out of her bed, nodding a hello to Dr. Adams and the other doctors as he left to give them room – and privacy – to do whatever they needed to do.

Tempted to go back to sleep, once he was on his feet he decided that he was up and might as well stay up. He went and changed into clean clothes and headed for the lounge, but wasn't surprised that Tony and Pepper weren't sitting at their regular table. It _was_ still early, after all.

Clint was, though. He was eating breakfast, and had a tablet propped up and was talking to someone. He grinned when he saw Peter, and waved him over to stand beside his chair. The boy complied, and when he looked at the screen and saw a dark-haired girl with braids looking back at him.

"Honey, this is Peter. Peter, this is my daughter, Lila."

The little girl grinned, and waved.

"Hi."

"Hey."

"Lila isn't in school today, because she has a cold, so I thought I'd call her and check on her."

"Did you like your cupcake?" the girl asked him, clearly not concerned about being sick.

Peter nodded, well aware that there was a time to tell the complete truth, and a time that it was okay to lie.

"Yeah. It was great. Thank you for making it for me."

She beamed.

"You're welcome. Are you really Mr. Stark's son, now?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Does that mean he'll buy you a _puppy_? My dad got us one. _Nick Furry_."

Peter smiled.

"I know. I saw him. He's cute." He floundered for more conversation, suddenly realizing that his lack of experience with girls went beyond girls his own age and into _all_ categories, apparently. "Um, is he keeping you company today while you're home?"

"Yeah. Him and my mom and my baby brother."

"That's good."

As if he was aware that Peter needed help, Barton moved back into sight of the little girl.

"We've got to go, Lila. But I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. It was nice meeting you, Peter."

"You, too."

He waved, awkwardly, and the other end went blank.

"Thanks," Clint said, turning off his tablet. "She's been pretty miserable."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah. Just a cold. She'll feel better when she gets the cupcake that you're going to send home with me."

"Oh."

He grinned.

"You don't have to _make_ it. I'll pick one up in the commissary for her and say it's from you."

That was a relief.

"Good."

"Besides," he added, returning to his breakfast. "She's already _sick_ , I'm not going to let you _poison_ her."

Peter smirked, and deliberately stuck his finger in Barton's scrambled eggs.

OOOOOOOOO

"Do we even _want_ to know?" Pepper asked Tony when they walked into the lounge and saw Peter sprawled on the floor near one of the tables, writhing under Clint who had him pinned under his knee and was slowly dribbling syrup into the boy's hair.

Tony took her arm and shook his head.

"Just pretend you don't _know_ him," he advised. "Then we don't have to help clean up the mess."

She smiled, looking over to make sure neither of them was actually being hurt. She liked seeing Peter have fun, though, and he had to be enjoying himself, or he wouldn't be allowing Clint to manhandle him like he was.

"I'm pretty sure there's something in the papers that you signed that promised to protect him from bullies."

"Peter or Clint?"

"Tony…"

He rolled his eyes, amused, and released her arm.

"Fine."

She went to the bar to order some breakfast, and Stark walked over to the two wrestling on the floor.

"Help, Tony…" Peter said, twisting around to look up at Stark, syrup slowly running into his eye from his hair. "Clint's picking on me."

"What did you do to deserve it?"

"Nothing. I was charming to his daughter. That's _all_."

"He stuck his finger in my breakfast."

"What did you do to deserve that?"

"He said my baking would poison his daughter."

Stark shook his head, still amused, and like Pepper, he was always pleased to see Peter enjoying himself – which he obviously was.

"Are you _sure_ you don't have any homework to do?"

It would keep the boy out of trouble, anyway.

"Yeah, I'm free all day."

It was a good feeling, really. He was caught up on his schoolwork – for the day at least, since Ned was going to be bringing more with him tomorrow – and he was starting to think that maybe the good days were outnumbering the bad ones, finally.

"Good. How about a driving lesson after breakfast?"

Tony wanted to make sure that Peter was ready for his test as soon as he was old enough to take it, and with him out of school right now, it was the perfect opportunity to get him as much time behind the wheel as they could.

"Sounds great, thanks."

OOOOOOOOO

"Tell me more about your dream," Stephen requested sitting on the edge of Natasha's be, sharing a fairly large lunch with her. "You specifically saw Peter going to the gym?"

"Yes. In my dream, he found the door locked, debated whether to go to bed or stay awake and then decided to go play basketball in the gym to keep himself awake. When I woke up I found that we'd forgotten to unlock the door and when I went to check on him, he was gone. I found him in the gym, mostly asleep on one of the bleachers just like I saw in my dream."

"That's amazing."

She shrugged but nodded her agreement.

"So, you're the magician, Stephen. Was it my own imagination – or instincts that told me where to find him and why – or an intervention of some sort?"

"You're talking about the mind stone, Natasha?"

She nodded.

"I'm good, but that would be wildly coincidental – and I'm not fond of believing in coincidence."

"No," he said "I agree with you. It was almost certainly the Mind stone. Which answers another question, really."

"Which one?"

"I would say that the Mind stone isn't using Peter's ability to summon the teleportation stone to the boy. I'm of a mind that the _stone_ is attuned to him and comes to him when it feels his need to go somewhere."

"Do you suppose that's better or worse?"

"It's better. The Mind stone must have recognized the danger the stone potentially poses to Peter when he's sleepwalking and took what actions it could. It's looking out for the boy in more ways than just giving him the occasional assist with his homework. If we could figure out a way to get it into Peter's head when he's sleepwalking and send him back to bed, then we could terminate the danger the sleepwalking brings."

They were silent while considering that, and he took a bite of the sandwich that he was eating.

"On the plus side; out of all of the magical relics Wong had Peter check for him, the rock is small. It's not a ceiling fan or a toaster that's decided to latch onto him."

She smiled at that.

"We'll remember to unlock the door next time."

He shook his head.

"Next time, we'll go to the sanctum. Then we won't have to worry about it."

OOOOOOOO

After their driving lesson, Peter and Tony spent some with Pepper, who set her work aside long enough to get a report on how he was developing.

"He's doing well," Tony told her, smiling with pride at Peter's progress. "We'll spend some time on the finer things, like parallel parking and backing up next week. This week I'm just working on making sure he can find the right gear without taking his eyes off the road to find it."

She looked at Peter.

"Is he still clutching the dash?"

The boy grinned.

"Only a little. He found the imaginary brake pedal on the passenger side, though, and he keeps stomping on it when he thinks I'm going too fast."

"At least he's going the _speed limit_ , now," Stark said.

Pepper laughed at that, and shooed them away so she could finish her work and would be able to spend time with them at dinner and the rest of the evening.

They spent time together in Stark's workroom. They didn't have anything that they _had_ to work on – although Peter's wrist was now officially healed enough that he didn't have to wear the bandages any longer, so they modified the self-adjusting band on Peter's watch, just to verify that the fit was snug enough to not allow the band to snag on anything. Really it was just a chance for them to be together, allowing them to become more accustomed to their new roles in the others' life – a _little daddy and me time_ , as Pepper privately thought of it.

It was good for both of them.


	121. Chapter 121

"Do the doctors know you're out of bed?" Stark asked, smiling when he and his little family entered the lounge to have dinner and found Natasha sitting at the corner table, dressed in lounge pants and a long sleeved shirt, but not bundled in blankets like an invalid as she had been every time she was allowed to get up. "Or are they going to come busting down the door looking for you?"

She shrugged and smiled a greeting to Peter as Stephen stood up to get another chair to accommodate the three of them at their table.

"They're okay with it, too. Said it's good for me to be on my feet."

"In a _limited_ capacity," Strange added, clearly being much more cautious about letting her get back to regular duties than Romanoff was.

That wasn't a surprise, though.

"How do you feel?" Pepper asked her.

"A little tired, and a bit sore, still. Much better than before."

"That's good to hear," Tony said, sincerely. He was relieved to see her on her feet, more or less. "Do you need some recuperation leave or something?"

"Isn't that what I've been doing?"

"No. You've been getting healthy enough to get out of bed. Now that you _are_ – more or less – if you want some time off to take a break, let me know and we'll figure it out."

"Thanks, but I'm good."

She wasn't much for vacations, after all.

"Is Ned coming this weekend?" Strange asked Peter, curiously.

"Yeah. Him and MJ, both."

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Coed sleepover?"

"In very separate rooms," Pepper said, smiling at Peter's automatic blush. "She's his friend. We want them to feel welcomed here."

"She's even going to join our D&D campaign Saturday," Stark added. "Don't forget to be here for that."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

They had dinner together and while they ate, Strange shared his hypothesis about the Mind stone not being the reason that the teleportation rock would end up with Peter when he was so desperate to go someplace.

"You really think the rock comes on its own?" Stark asked.

"Yes." Strange shrugged. "The cloak can. We never realized it before, but it definitely does what it wants to do, and when it wanted to be with Peter, it would sneak into the apartment. Right, Peter?"

"Yeah. I never _asked_ it to come, but it would suddenly be there."

"Are _all_ magical relics like that?" Tony asked facetiously. "Or is it just the ones that love _Peter_?"

Strange's smile was sardonic.

"I know the Time stone does what it wants, unless the bearer has the power to control it. I wouldn't dream of saying that I can _control_ the Cloak of Levitation, obviously, and I've only used the Teleportation rock once, so I would hardly call myself an expert on its properties. So, yes? As far as I know, they do what they want, unless they can be convinced or compelled to do what someone else wants them to do."

"I could talk the cloak into pretending to be a regular blanket around May, even though it hated doing it," Peter said. "It would grumble in my mind the entire time.

"Yes," Strange agreed. "That's what I mean. You can't _make_ it do it, but it likes you, so it _did_."

"Yeah."

"The same thing applies to the Mind stone when you confronted it about the dreams it was sending you. You were able to explain that it was upsetting you, and it stopped – but it still connects with you."

"The teleport rock doesn't really communicate with me, though," Peter said. "Not like the others. It just asks me where I want to go – and it always feels cheerful. Even when it was trying to get me out of the basement in London and couldn't. I was getting frustrated and was upset, but it just kept trying."

"It's probably just as well that you can't handle being close to the infinity stones, Peter," Strange said, quite seriously. "With two of them here on Earth, and the possibility that the Time stone would create a connection with you as well as the Mind stone, the result could be potentially catastrophic if they decided that you wanted something insane."

Like reversing time to bring back May - or his parents, even. He didn't say it, though.

"Do we try to have him talk to the Mind stone, again?" Tony asked. "Could it keep him from sleepwalking?"

"If anything can, it should be able to," Strange said with a shrug. "The decision to try to talk to it isn't up to me, though. I'd say that's Peter's choice. He knows the risks involved, and is the one to decide if the headache and fever that will result is worth the effort of trying – and of course, if Vision is willing to come and hover close enough to even try the close contact, again."

"Peter? Why not just try to tell it from a distance?" Stark asked. "It connects with you even when Vision's on the other side of the planet."

"I think it pays more attention when it's closer," Peter said, looking a little nervous at the thought of that more intimate contact, although he wasn't anywhere near as nervous about it as Tony clearly was. "It's probably better to do it close up. Like talking to someone face to face rather than writing a letter – or an email."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Peter said. "I'm willing to try it. I don't know how I'd explain to it what I need, but it would be worth a little fever to cure me of the sleepwalking."

"It's not a _little_ fever," Stark pointed out.

He obviously didn't like the idea of Peter being in danger from being so close to the stone.

"It'd still be worth it."

"We'll set it up for next week, then," Tony said. "I'll want _you_ with him, though, Stephen – like last time. If you're willing?"

"Of course."

"I'll call Vision Monday."

" _After_ the press luncheon," Pepper reminded him.

"Yeah. After that."

"The what?" Natasha asked, realizing that she was missing something. Which wasn't too surprising considering all the time she'd spent in bed, recently.

Yet another reason to be glad she was well enough to get out of bed, now.

Pepper explained to Natasha – and to Stephen – about inviting the press to eat with them, and Peter, to give the media a chance to meet the boy.

"The reasoning behind this being that if we take away the mystery, they should lose interest in him," Tony said.

She frowned.

"I'd like to be there for that."

"Because?"

"Because I don't trust any of them," she said, candidly. "Between Happy and myself, we can look intimidating enough to remind them not to pull anything stupid."

"Are you up for looking intimidating?" Stark asked.

"I will be by Monday, sure."

"Then you're welcome to come. We'll have it at the tower, and the lucky five can be like the kids that found the golden ticket in _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ and get to come in while the others have to look on."

"That's not a bad idea, Tony," Pepper said, approvingly.

"Don't forget, you promised that guy I gave the umbrella to that he could be one of them," Peter reminded him.

Tony shrugged.

"The guy with the umbrella gets to come, Pepper," he told her, clearly not as concerned with keeping that promise as Peter was.

"I'll make a note."

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Natasha asked, always feeling better when she knew what the schedules were.

Again, spies hate surprises.

"Dr. Bird in the morning, then I'll take Peter driving – or just let him drive home, although I want him to have more practice with a manual transmission. The rest of the morning is free, as far as I know. Pepper will bring Ned and MJ with her when she comes in after work and I assume we won't see any of them once they get started on the VR system until we play D&D tomorrow night."

"Are you playing, Natasha?" Peter asked, hopefully.

"Of course."

"What are your plans for tonight?" Strange asked, curiously.

He obviously didn't want Romanoff doing anything too strenuous.

"Nothing too demanding. Peter and I stayed up way too late playing with the VR tech and we're getting up early tomorrow to get to the doctor by nine. Board game?"

"Risk?" Natasha suggested.

Tony frowned, but Peter smiled, and so did Pepper. Strange didn't look any more enthused than Stark did, but they nodded.

"Fine."

Nothing like failing at world domination before bedtime, after all.


	122. Chapter 122

"Peter, it's good to see you."

"Thanks."

Dr. Bird gestured to the chair by his desk. Peter noticed that he'd set up the chess set so they could play.

"Sit down, please. How have you been?"

"Good."

"If what I read in the newspaper is accurate, you've had a busy and exciting week."

"It wasn't accurate when it came out, but it is, _now_ ," Peter said, watching as the doctor played the white pawn in front of him. "Tony adopted me Tuesday. They were a little premature."

"Congratulations. I assume you were on board with the idea?"

Peter smiled, and moved his knight out.

"Yeah. The judge asked me that, too. Is anyone _making_ me get adopted?" Peter rolled his eyes at that. Like someone would have to make him? "It's a good thing, really. I mean, I knew he loved me and all, but I didn't know he wanted to be more than just my guardian."

"My son is very jealous of you," Bird said, playing another pawn.

"What?"

"Well, he doesn't know that I'm _working_ with you, of course, but he's read the papers, and he knows Tony is Ironman, and that you're now officially his son." He made a rueful face. "Having a psychologist as a father isn't as interesting as having _Ironman_ as a father, obviously. So he's jealous."

"Oh." Peter shrugged. "It's not much different, really. I think he's a little more relaxed around me than he was before, and he's trying to keep me from being overwhelmed by the press – which wasn't an issue before. And he asked me if I wanted to move my room at the Avengers compound closer to his, but I told him no."

"Why not?"

"Because then I wouldn't be in the rooms next to Natasha and Steve."

Bird nodded, giving Peter another smile.

"I have to admit, if I hadn't asked my son to tell me everything that he knew about the Avengers, I wouldn't know who those people were just by your casual mention of them. I knew _about_ them, of course, but he's obsessed. Just to make sure we're talking about the same people, you mean Black Widow and Captain America?"

"Yeah. I like being by them."

He played a pawn.

"I can understand why. How are you feeling aside from the adoption?"

"I'm caught up on my homework, so I haven't had to stress about that, and Tony has been teaching me to drive, and I'm getting pretty good."

"How's the sleepwalking?"

"Not as good," Peter admitted. "I don't know what I'm doing when I'm doing it, you know? But it's an almost every day thing, now. It's getting _worse_ , I think. I figured once I started catching up, and got over the worse of things…"

He trailed off, meaning May's death, but unwilling to say it, as if he didn't think it was okay to say he was getting over it.

Bird seemed to understand.

"I asked Pepper and Tony to keep a log of where you end up when it happens."

"Yeah. They told me."

"They said you've ended up in the lounge a couple times and once in the garage. They told me that if they want you to _not_ sleepwalk, if you start out in Natasha's bed, you'll stay there every time."

"I end up there, too, sometimes."

"Do you know why?"

"She makes me feel safe, I guess."

"Doesn't _Tony_?"

"Yeah. He's Ironman."

Duh.

"But you don't sleep with him and Pepper."

"I've ended up in their bed, before, too."

"But mostly with Natasha."

"Yeah."

"Do you have sex with her?"

Peter blushed, then felt the blood run out of his face and was certain he paled, before he flushed once more and then felt a surge of annoyance at the question.

"No."

"Do you touch her?"

"Not like _that_."

"You look upset."

"It's not a _sexual_ thing," he told the doctor, tersely, suddenly panicked that he'd think Natasha was doing something wrong – or that he'd say that he couldn't sleep with her, anymore. Or worse, tell Tony and Pepper not to let him. "I'm not aroused or anything, and I don't dream of her like that."

He tightened his fist, aware of the rock that was suddenly in his hand.

 _Where?_

The cheer coming from the stone was so out of place that it almost startled him. Almost as much as having the rock there in the first place. Peter's panic cooled like a drunk driver sobering up when they see the flashing lights behind them and he slid the rock into his pocket and laid both hands flat against the legs of his jeans.

 _Nowhere._ He said it as firmly as he could.

"Okay. I had to ask, though. You're a young man, and she is a _very_ attractive woman. And sexual activity is riddled with emotions. Some of which you might not be quite ready for."

"We're not doing anything. She has a _boyfriend_. Besides, she's _way_ out of my league."

"How do you mean?"

"She's what you said. Attractive, and older, and she's a _spy_ , you know. She can do all kinds of things, like martial arts, and knife throwing and shooting."

"No wonder she makes you feel safe."

"Yes. She does."

"What happens when you move into the tower?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is she moving in, as well?"

"No. She lives at the Avenger facility with the Avengers."

Duh.

"How are your driving lessons going? Have you been pulled over again?"

Peter was surprised at the change of topic, but he shook his head.

"I'm getting better in the Lamborghini. I do pretty well in the cars with automatics. Tony is going to let me drive home when we get out of the city, and next week we'll work on backing up and parallel parking."

"Have you driven the car your father left you?"

He nodded.

"Yes. Took Steve and Clint and Tony on a road trip the other day. Just up the road a bit."

"How was it?"

" _Amazing_."

He asked Peter about the homework he'd completed, and what books he'd had to read for school – agreeing with the boy when he'd mentioned that he hadn't felt ready to read the Stand and had decided to just take a zero on that particular assignment, and they talked about Ned, and MJ coming over for the weekend – which made Peter brace for another sex question, which didn't come. Then they discussed the VR equipment, and even the cupcake that Clint's daughter had made for him and Natasha.

He was still tense by the time the chess game was finished and the doctor announced that their time was up, certain he'd screwed up, somewhere.

"You seem _upset_ , Peter," Dr. Bird told him, calmly. "There's no reason to be, though. Like I told you, the whole reason we talk is to figure out how best to help you. Okay?"

"Yes."

"Ask Tony and Pepper to come in, will you?"

He nodded and stood up, feeling far edgier now than he had when he'd walked in – although he wasn't completely sure why. He went out into the waiting room and sat down on the sofa beside Pepper, burying his face against her shoulder without a word, prompting her to put her arms around him, and look over at Tony, concerned.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Peter shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it. Especially to _Pepper_ , who would probably not want him touching _her_ , anymore, either.

"He's ready to talk to you guys, now."

But he didn't pull away.

"I'll be right back," Tony said, standing up and brushing a hand along Peter's shoulder before he vanished into the doctor's office.

"Did he say something that hurt your feelings?" Pepper asked.

"No. He didn't hurt my feelings. I got the answers wrong, though."

"There aren't any wrong answers. Surely he told you that."

Peter didn't answer. He just sat with her, feeling the rock pressing against his leg and glad he'd been able to hold it together enough to keep from vanishing in front of the doctor.

Ten minutes later, Tony came out of the office, his expression completely unreadable, and he waved Pepper and Peter over to the receptionist desk.

"Same time next week, please," he told the woman at the desk, reaching for the card with one hand and putting his other on Peter's shoulder to silently tell him that everything was fine.

He handed the card to Pepper, and they got into the elevator, with one of them on either side.

"What did he say?" Peter asked, anxiously as the doors closed.

"Do you have that rock?" Tony asked, surprising Peter.

"Yes."

"What?" Pepper asked. "The teleporting one?"

"I'm not surprised," Stark told him, which surprised the boy. "Good job, Peter."

The hand on his shoulder tightened.

"What happened, Tony?" Pepper asked.

"Did he _really_ ask you if you're having sex with Romanoff?"

"He did _what_?"

"Peter ends up in her bed, and Dr. McNasty asked Peter if they were having sex."

"He's _fifteen_."

"I told him we weren't," Peter said.

"He told me," Tony assured him. "He also told me that he _believes_ you – I just can't believe he asked you such a wildly inappropriate question like that in the first place."

"He said that sex has a lot of emotions attached to it," Peter said, unable to keep from defending the doctor, even though he was upset. "I'm _not_."

Stark smiled, his fingers going through Peter's hair, as the elevator took them to the garage. "I know that, son. It's okay. _Really_."

They reached the garage and then the car and Tony opened the door for Pepper, while Peter went around and got in behind Stark's seat, watching while he got behind the wheel, although he didn't buckle himself in.

"He thinks you consider Natasha a protector. Which wouldn't surprise me. He said you told him that she makes you feel safe."

"She _does_ ," Peter admitted.

"I know. And I'm good with that. I _want_ you to feel safe around her. She makes _me_ feel safe, sometimes, too." He turned in his seat so he could look at Peter without using the mirror like he normally did. "He also thinks that some of your stress – and maybe some of your sleepwalking – is because at some subliminal level you're not committed to the idea of leaving the compound and moving into the tower."

Pepper frowned.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"The compound is where _Natasha_ is," Tony explained. "And where Steve and the others are, also, to a lesser extent. That's one point he made, which I have to admit makes a certain amount of sense. The other point he made is that we had May's _birthday party_ at the tower, and he feels that there's a lingering issue with that, as well. It was the last place you saw her truly happy, and while it's not the same as never wanting to be at the apartment where you lost her, there are still ghosts there, so to speak."

"That's _stupid_."

"Are you sure? It makes sense. I didn't even think about it, I have to admit."

"Neither did I," Pepper agreed, looking back at Peter, concerned.

"I'm not doing all this on _purpose_ ," Peter told them, stubbornly, aghast that the doctor would even tell Tony that. "I d-"

"Of course you're _not_ ," Stark interrupted. "I _said_ he thinks it's subliminal."

"Let's go to the tower," Pepper suggested. "The car isn't the place to have this conversation."

Tony nodded, and now he did buckle up and start the car. When he looked into the rearview mirror, though, he could see that Peter looked upset. As far as he was concerned, there was no reason for him to be.

"Hey?"

The boy caught his reflection in the mirror.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Peter's smile was heartbreakingly surprised. As if it was the last thing that he'd expected to hear just then.

"I love you, too."

"Good. Give Pepper that rock, though, will you? I don't want to have to try and figure out where you are."


	123. Chapter 123

They were silent on the way to the tower, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Peter was lost in thought – which wasn't uncommon for him – and the adults were considering the ramifications of Dr. Bird's revelations about Peter's potential issues with moving to the tower. Neither looked stressed out, Peter decided, as he alternated between watching them and watching the traffic Tony was weaving expertly through. He was so distracted that he only briefly noticed the small crowd of journalists who watched as they arrived, and took a few photos as they entered the garage.

Tony shepherded his family out of the car, into the elevator and then over to the comfortable upholstered stools at the bar. A cup of coffee for himself and another for Pepper, and a bottle of apple juice for Peter, and only then did Stark turn his full attention on the boy.

"You look worried, Peter," he said. "Why? Because of the _tower_ thing, or the _Natasha_ thing?"

"The Natasha thing."

"We know you're not having sex with her," Tony pointed out. "What's there to worry about?"

"Did he tell you not to let me sleep with her?"

Sleep with, as opposed to have sex with, Tony knew.

"No. He mentioned that it might not be too healthy to allow you to become too dependent on her, but he didn't say anything about keeping you away from her. Not that we _would_ , even if he did."

"That's assuming Natasha would _let_ us," Pepper pointed out with a smile. "You can't lock both sides of a door, after all."

"Don't stress it, okay?" Stark said. "Dr. Bird doesn't know everything you're dealing with and we _do_. Natasha keeps you grounded, and we appreciate it. We're not going to do anything that will change that."

"Okay."

He was relieved, and it showed.

"You're alright?"

"Yeah."

"We don't need to cancel our weekend, right?"

"No." He definitely wanted to have his friends over. "I'm okay."

"Good."

"What about what he said about the tower thing?"

Stark shrugged, looking at Pepper.

"We'll worry about that, later. There's no timeline for moving in here, after all."

"It's a lot of driving for you guys to take Pepper here every day."

"It might be," Pepper said. "But you forget that I _like_ to drive. It's a good way for me to relax. And if I _don't_ feel like driving, Tony can take me, or Friday can. I drive because I _want_ to, not because I have to."

"Besides," Stark told him. "If push came to shove, the Quinjet _can_ land here. Pepper could always be flown in – and so could you, for that matter, once you start back to school. It's _not_ a big deal."

"Okay."

"Good." Stark finished his coffee. "Are we ready to head out? We're distracting Pepper."

Peter nodded.

"Yeah."

Pepper tilted her head so Tony could kiss her, and then she hugged Peter.

"Drive safely."

He smiled, realizing that she meant _him_ , not Tony. He wouldn't be driving until they left the city but it was exciting for him to be the recipient of something that was such a simple phrase – and yet incredibly profound when he thought about it.

"I will."

"He's a cautious driver," Tony assured her.

"Unlike some people in this room," she teased.

OOOOOOOO

This time Peter was more aware of the group of journalists as they left the garage.

"Why don't they hang out at the compound?" he asked Tony, curiously. "They have to know _that's_ where we're going, right?"

"They know. It's not as convenient as the tower, though, and while the compound is interesting, they aren't allowed anywhere near it – and they know. Here they can be on the sidewalk – and close to a bathroom and someplace to eat."

"That makes sense."

"Yeah."

"What happens if they get too close to the compound? They don't get _shot_ or anything, right?"

Tony smiled, but shook his head.

"They get nailed for trespassing. Our security guys aren't very gentle when detaining them, though. Plus, because we're technically affiliated with the DOJ, we can take any cameras – as a security concern – so any photo they managed to take would be confiscated and they know it. It is very expensive to get caught where you don't belong."

They switched drivers at a gas station outside of the city, and Peter drove them home to the compound. Due to his status as a very new driver, Stark never tried to have much of a conversation with Peter while he was driving. Mainly, he'd give him advice about speed, or the lane, or helping him decide if he could – or should – pass someone. Other than that, he simply let the boy drive.

When they returned to the sanctum Peter parked the car in the garage and Stark slapped him on the back.

"Good job. You're getting pretty comfortable behind the wheel, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm going to go finish our D&D campaign for tomorrow. Go find something to do and stay out of trouble until lunch. I'll see you in the lounge and then we'll amuse ourselves making sure that the VR sets will work in the gym."

"Sounds good."

OOOOOOOOO

Without any homework to do, Peter didn't have anything that he felt pressured to do. He went and checked on Natasha, but despite being cleared to spend some time out of bed, he found her in her bed, just about asleep. She roused when he entered her room, though, and he apologized for waking her, even while she was patting the spot beside her so he could come say hello, at least.

Peter settled himself next to her, and cuddled against her side.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Sleepy. How was your appointment?"

"Awful."

"Why?"

He shook his head. She was mostly asleep, and he didn't want to wake her up, really, by making her worry about his problems.

"I'll tell you later. Go to sleep."

She didn't argue, and with his comforting presence beside her, she was asleep almost immediately. Peter held her until he was certain she was asleep, then he carefully slipped out of her bed and covered her, warmly, and left her to her nap. Then he went looking for something to do.

The jet was gone, which explained why he didn't find Clint or Steve – presumably they were picking something up, or maybe taking jumpers or making a training run somewhere.

He ended up in the lounge much earlier than he was supposed to meet Tony for lunch, and chatted idly with the bartender. She knew his friends were coming and she made a point to ask him what – if anything – special he wanted stocked into the fridge in his quarters. Since she normally made sure there was a broad assortment of snacks, from healthy to very much _not_ healthy, Peter told her that they weren't picky, and asked her if there was anything he could do to help out while he waited for Tony.

Which was why when Stark arrived for lunch, he found Peter in the lounge kitchen, sitting at a utility table, having learned how to peel apples that were going to be used for pies later that day for dinner.

"Check this out, Tony," Peter said when Stark walked into the kitchen, having been told by the bartender where to find him.

There was a large box about half filled with apples, and an odd looking machine that was clamped to the edge of the table. While Tony watched, Peter stuck an apple on the machine, slammed it down and cranked a handle that turned the apple against a blade, effectively coring it, and then peeling it. The boy pulled the apple off the corer and set it in a bowl with several others.

Tony picked one out of the bowl.

"Tell me Deena is paying you top wages to do this?"

"All the pie I want later."

Tony smiled and kept the apple that he'd picked up, taking a bite out of it.

"Are you _making_ the pies, too?"

"No." He shrugged. "I have a feeling I'm not really even qualified yet to be an apple peeler."

"Don't you need to slice them?"

"I'm the _peeler_ guy. I assume someone else slices them."

"When you're done, we'll have lunch."

"Yeah."

Peter reached for another apple, and Stark left the kitchen, munching on the apple that he'd mooched.

At least he was staying out of trouble.


	124. Chapter 124

They were in the garage waiting when Pepper drove in and parked next to the Pontiac. Pepper smiled a greeting to Tony when he met her at her door and opened it for her, and hid her delight when she saw Peter do the same for MJ.

"Hey."

"Hi, Peter," she said, smiling at him but her gaze immediately going to the Pontiac. "This is the car your dad left you?"

"Yeah."

"It's nice."

"I showed her the video your folks made for you," Ned said, getting out of the back seat on his own, since neither of them had opened _his_ door for him. "I didn't think you'd mind."

Peter was well aware that Ned had made a copy of the video to show his mom.

"No. It's okay."

"How was the drive?" Tony asked Pepper, watching as MJ examined the Pontiac, obviously impressed.

"Easy, as always."

"Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"You guys get MJ settled in her rooms – make sure she knows how to find them – and then come meet in the lounge for dinner, okay? I hear we're having apple pie for dessert."

"Yeah. Okay."

"And don't forget to offer to take her for a ride in your car once you get your license."

"Oh. Yeah. No. I will." He looked at MJ. "I _will_. Take you for a ride. In the car, that is. _Later_."

Stark rolled his eyes, and offered his arm to Pepper, walking her out of the garage.

"I'm never going to be a grandfather. You _realize_ that, right?" he murmured to her as they left.

She smiled.

"He's not that bad. It's _sweet_."

"Says the woman who might as well go buy a dozen cats…"

OOOOOOO

"Are they putting her in one of the VIP rooms?" Ned asked as they pulled three bags out of the back of the car.

One bag was Ned's, one was MJ's and the other was filled with fresh homework assignments waiting for Peter to finish them.

"Yeah. Room A. It's the same one they put you in when I was so sick."

"I'll take my stuff and your homework to your room and meet you guys there," Ned offered. "That way we don't have to backtrack to go eat."

"Okay."

Ned left them and Peter took MJ's bag for her, gesturing toward the right turn in the corridor. The VIP rooms weren't exactly on the other end of the compound from his quarters, but it wasn't too far off the mark.

"I'm glad your folks said you could come."

"It took some fast talking, but my parents are pretty cool – and it's the Avengers, after all. If anyone can keep me out of trouble, my mom figures it's Captain America."

He smiled.

"I suppose."

"Yeah."

"How's school going?"

"Okay. It's boring without you there."

Peter felt himself blushing.

"Yeah. I should be back soon."

"How have you _been_?" she asked, as they walked. "Ned told me about the adoption – and I saw the articles in the paper."

"I'm doing okay. Tony has me seeing a psychologist – trying to get me over this sleepwalking thing that's going on."

"Is that why you're still staying out here? Because it's less dangerous than sleepwalking in the city?"

She was very bright, too, of course. Peter wondered what it would be like to have dumb friends. Everyone he knew was genius level, and he knew it.

"Yeah. Pretty much."

"I'd rather you be way out here, than hear that you walked off a balcony somewhere."

He smiled, and blushed again.

"Thanks."

Her room wasn't as impressive as his own, but then, they were designed for a stay of one or two nights. Peter pointed out the A on the door so she wouldn't go to the wrong room – although he wasn't too worried. There was a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom, with a flat screen television on the wall in the bedroom and in the living room and a basket of fruit and candy that had been set out for her.

"There isn't a video game system in here, but you can still stream all the movies."

"Cool. No fridge?"

He shook his head.

"I won mine from Tony in a game of chess. They don't usually have one"

"What are we going to do tonight?"

"Pepper's doing something with this company that makes VR systems. They sent her some prototype that Tony and I tried out yesterday. She wants to know what we think of them – since some of it is designed for our age group."

"Sounds good. Where's the cloak?"

He shrugged.

"With Dr. Strange. He'll be here to play D&D with us tomorrow, so it might come with him. It-"

"You guys ready?" Ned asked, walking into the room without knocking.

MJ dropped her bag on the sofa.

"Yeah."

"Let's go eat."

OOOOOOOOO

Dinner was at the table in the corner, with another one pushed up against it to give them plenty of room for all of the dishes. Through a meal of pasta, meatballs, salad and bread, Tony and Pepper drew MJ out, more or less dominating the conversation but well aware that if they wanted to learn anything about the girl, they were going to have to do the asking.

Peter didn't need to ask the questions because he already knew many of the answers, and Ned was so excited about trying out the new VR system that he was practically speechless. Which was saying something when it came to Ned.

The two boys did both learn a fair amount more about her than they already knew, though.

Tony Stark was absolutely charming when he wanted to be, and that open personality was unlimited. He could charm anyone when he made the effort – and he was definitely willing to make the effort to get to know MJ. She wasn't really a talker, but between Pepper and Tony, she found that she was telling them a lot more than was normal for her, and the three of them pretty much dominated the dinner conversation.

Desert was apple pie, and Stark bragged that Peter had made the pie as he was dishing up slices for everyone.

"Really?" MJ asked.

Peter blushed, and shook his head.

"I peeled the apples," he told her. "I didn't do any of the _baking_. They'd be burned."

"Peter can't cook," Ned told her. "My mom tried to teach him and he burned the kitchen curtains."

"Can _you_ cook?" Pepper asked him, curiously.

"Sure."

"What?"

"Anything."

Stark looked over at Peter, who nodded.

"He's the only reason I passed home economics in 8th grade. We had to make a full dinner for a family member. I made the _salad_ , he made everything else."

"It was a salad _mix_ , too," Ned said with a grin. "My mom and May said it was the best they'd ever had."

Peter smiled, too, waiting for the pang of sorrow that would accompany the memory of his aunt, and feeling only the happiness of just how good that day had been.

When the pie was gone – and it was good and there were no apple peels in it – Stark shooed the youngsters away from the table.

"The gym is set up for you guys. Peter and I double checked the system and the network earlier, so you'll be able to access the menu through Friday, which will make the transfer rate smoother than if you were playing in his room."

"And being in the gym instead of his room will keep you from breaking anything important," Pepper added, smiling at Ned's eagerness.

"Thanks, Mr. Stark," Ned said.

"You're welcome. Don't stay up all night, okay? I want you all in your rooms by 3 am."

"Yeah."

The three left, and Pepper looked over at him.

"How do you intend to keep them from staying up all night?"

"Friday will turn the network off at 2:30."

"Smart."

He smirked.

"I have my moments."


	125. Chapter 125

The VR was as good as the hype and MJ was gamer enough to thoroughly enjoy the visual and audio effects of the system with the boys. They started with the Jedi game that Peter and Tony had played the night before, and then moved on to some war games and then had tried out the sports games. They bowled, and played tennis and then racquetball and finally they even tried out the golfing simulator, even though none of them had ever tried golfing in real life before.

At 2:25 there was a heads up message from the system advising them that it was going to shut off, and all three were far too stimulated by the game play to be tired enough to go to bed.

"We can go to my room or we can go to the lounge," Peter said. "Either place we can get something to eat."

Golfing was _hungry_ work, apparently. Even when you were walking a simulated course.

"No one will be in the lounge, right?" Ned asked. "Let's go there. I prefer soda from a fountain, if I can – it has more bubbles."

They walked into the deserted lounge around 2:45 and Peter went behind the bar, being far more comfortable doing so than either of them. To their credit, not one of them even really gave a thought to having something alcoholic – even though the contents of the entire place were there for the trying. Instead, they got colas, pretzels, some peanuts and chips and went over to the corner table and pulled out the Risk game.

OOOOOOOO

Peter was warned before he actually heard the voice, but the other two literally jumped when the incredulous voice spoke up, interrupting Ned's attempt to take control of Peru from MJ.

"Hey…"

All three looked over to see Stark walking over.

"Hey, Mr. Stark," Ned said, grinning.

"Do you guys know what _time_ it is?"

Ned looked at his watch, not recognizing the facetiousness of the question.

"6:15."

"Why are you still up?"

"We lost track of time," Peter said, apologetically.

 _He_ had other reasons for not having any desire to go to sleep, but he really hadn't intended to keep his friends up all night.

Tony walked over to stand beside him, and rested a hand on the boy's shoulder while he looked down at the board.

"Who's winning?"

"MJ."

"Call it a game, okay? I want you guys in bed. Now."

"Yeah."

He walked with them. Ned told them that he would pick up the game and head to Peter's room, and Tony and Peter walked MJ to her rooms – mainly because Stark didn't want her getting lost in the facility. They told her goodnight, and Tony reminded her that she could sleep as late as she wanted. They had a fairly loose schedule for the morning and afternoon. The evening would be reserved for D&D.

Then Stark walked with Peter back toward _his_ room.

"Did they enjoy the VR?"

"Yeah. It was great. We didn't get to the movies, yet, but there are a lot of games that you and I didn't try that are pretty fun."

"Good. Make sure you tell Pepper that you approve. Are you going to sleep with Natasha?"

Peter hesitated, but then shook his head.

"No. She's not stuck in bed anymore and if she wakes up with me in it beside her, she'll feel obligated to stay with me. It's already late, I'll be fine."

"You could sack out in my bed."

"I might end up there," he reminded him.

They walked in silence until they reached his quarters.

"If you need anything, you know where to find me, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks. I'm going to go to bed. Good night."

"Good night."

Peter hugged him, feeling just a little edgy, and Tony tucked the boy's head under his chin for a moment before letting him go.

OOOOOOOOO

" _I've got to figure this out."_

 _The solution is in your head. When you're healed, it will stop_

" _I can't wait that long. We'll be at the compound forever."_

 _That's not so terrible, is it?_

" _For me? No. For them? It's not fair."_

 _They don't mind_

" _I do. There has to be a solution."_

 _Go stay with Natasha. She can keep you in bed._

" _I don't want to keep her in bed. That's not fair, either."_

 _She can keep you safe. She saved you from Loki. She can save you from yourself_

" _There has to be a solution," he repeated, stubbornly. "One that won't take so long. Dr. Strange has an entire library of answers."_

 _It's not a magical problem. It's in your head_

" _He doesn't know?"_

 _It's not a magical problem. There isn't a magical solution_

" _Everything has a magical solution. I just need to find it."_

 _Magic couldn't keep May with you_

 _That stung, and he recoiled, slightly, withdrawing into himself and away from that hurt. He knew deep down that he wasn't going to win an argument with himself, any more than he could win when he was playing both sides of the chess board by himself. He needed to find the answer. He didn't want them to have to wait for him to heal._

 _It wasn't fair._

 _He needed to find the answer. It was taking too long._

 _Where?_

OOOOOOOOO

"So, let me get this straight. You roll the die, and if it comes up a one, you've failed or you die, but if you roll a twenty, it's a guaranteed success?"

"Yes."

"And then your character can survive to play another time?"

"Presuming you don't kill him off with a bad roll – or one of your companions doesn't –"

Strange stopped in mid explanation as the Cloak of Levitation came whipping into the kitchen, frantically waving itself to get his attention. He couldn't feel it, but there was no mistaking the urgency the relic was displaying – even Wong could see it. Both men headed for the door, and then followed it at a run up the broad stairway.

OOOOOOOOO

" _Peter's transponder is no longer on the facility grounds."_

Stark stood up, setting his soldering rod down and looking up – even though Friday was everywhere and there wasn't a specific place to look.

"What? Where is he?"

" _Searching."_

Tony went into their main room, startling Pepper, who was lounging on the sofa with a cup of coffee in front of her and the news on the TV. They'd already had breakfast, and were just whiling away some quiet time before the kids woke up.

"What's going on?"

"Do you still have the rock?"

She looked over at the table that she'd set it on, figuring that they'd give it back to Stephen when he showed up for D&D that evening – if not sooner. It was gone.

"No."

"Friday?"

A chime interrupted whatever reply the AI might have made, and Stephen Strange's voice came through Stark's communication device.

" _Tony? Are you missing someone?"_

Stark felt a surge of relief.

"Where is he, Stephen?"

" _Here, at the sanctum. Where are you?"_

"My quarters."

" _Go to your workroom."_

He and Pepper both did, and as they arrived a portal formed. One that terminated in the library at the sanctum.

"I'm coming, too," Pepper said, taking his hand.

"Of course."

It was a portal. They didn't need to fly or anything. She could come.

They stepped through, and found Wong, Strange and the Cloak of Levitation all in a section of the library near where they ended up when they walked out of the portal. All of them were watching Peter, who was wearing only a pair of sweats, and was standing at a bookshelf, looking at a book in his hands.

"What's he _doing_?" Tony asked.

"No clue."

"He's looking for an answer," Wong replied.

"To what?"

"Whatever it is that pulled him out of his bed."

"His sleepwalking, then."

"Probably."

" _Is_ there one in the book?" Tony asked.

Wong shrugged.

"I doubt it, but I don't know. Magic can do a lot of things, Tony, but healing a wounded soul isn't really one of them."

"That's what his _psychologist_ is for," Strange said.

Stark rolled his eyes.

"Don't get me started on _that_ right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you later, Stephen. What do we do with him? That's not one of those _dangerous_ books, is it? You know… good… good… very _bad_ …?"

"No."

"It doesn't matter," Wong reminded them. "Peter can't read it."

"Can _you_?" Stark asked.

"Yes."

"Then we have to assume that _he_ can, too."

"Take him home, Tony. Put him to bed," Strange said. "See if Natasha will keep him company. I'd prefer she stay in bed at least through this weekend before she goes crazy trying to get things done that she's been missing while she's been hurt."

Stark walked over to the boy.

"Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing, son?"

"Trying to figure out how to get better. It's gotta be in here somewhere."

"It's _late_. Let's let Stephen have his library back, okay? Come on."

Peter nodded, and put the book back on the shelf, carefully, and then walked with Tony back to the group. Strange made a new portal for them, this one in Natasha's living room.

"I'll be by later."

"I'll let her know. Thanks, Stephen."

"You're welcome."

OOOOOOOOO

She woke when he joined her in her bed, and sleepily covered him as he cuddled up against her side. Then she saw Tony and Pepper, and realized that it was an odd time of day for him to be sleepwalking and frowned, sitting up a little, careful not to wake him.

"What happened?"

"He went to the sanctum," Tony said.

"With the rock?"

"Yeah. Are you okay with him being with you?"

"Of course."

"We'll tell you everything later," Stark promised. "Stephen said to tell you he'll be by later."

"Thanks."

They left and she closed her eyes, again, her hand brushing Peter's cheek, which made him stir beside her.

"Natasha?"

"Hmmm...?"

"I'm not having sex with you."

Her brow furrowed, completely confused, and uncertain how to respond to that.

"Go to sleep, Peter."


	126. Chapter 126

Natasha was asleep when Peter woke. He looked around, his head a little muzzy with sleepiness, and realized immediately that he wasn't in his own bed, of course. It was much more unlikely that Natasha had joined him in _his_ than him ending up in hers. Which meant that he had been sleepwalking. He had a flash of worry that he'd done something like he had before, with Ned, and decided that he needed to get up and go see what kind of damage he may have done. A glance at the clock by her bed told him that it was still fairly early – not even lunchtime, yet – which made him wonder where everyone was.

Peter slid out of her bed silently, doing his best to not wake her, and then headed for his own quarters. When he opened the door, he saw that Ned was asleep, as well, sacked out on Peter's couch and snoring, softly. Peter was just as silent in his quarters; he'd let Ned sleep in, too, and went into his bedroom and changed from the sweats he was wearing into jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt.

Then he headed for the lounge, deciding that it was probably the best place to start looking for answers – and something to eat.

Tony was at the corner table, playing cards with Pepper. Both looked over when he made an appearance at the entrance. Peter knew they were just as comfortable in their quarters, and assumed they were making themselves available in the lounge, being aware that it would most likely be the first place someone would come looking for them.

He saw Tony glance at his watch as Peter walked over.

"I expected you to sleep longer than this," Stark told him smiling a greeting as Peter sat down at their table.

"I woke up in Natasha's bed."

He nodded.

"I know. We put you there about two hours ago. It was _there_ , or your room at Stephen's."

"What?"

"You went to the sanctum this morning. Stephen found you going through the 3rd floor library."

"What was I doing?" He asked, exasperated with himself.

"You told me that you were looking for a way to get better."

Peter shook his head, and then dropped it onto his arms, which were folded on the table, feeling ridiculous.

"Was he mad?"

"Of course not."

Pepper leaned over and brushed her hand along his hair.

"He called us, we came and brought you home. Nothing to be mad about."

"I would have paid good money to see his face when you showed up, though," Tony said. "The sanctum is well protected, right? You went through his security like that." He snapped his fingers.

"I'm excluded from the sanctum security spells," Peter explained, lifting his head. "Except for the room that has the Time stone, I can go wherever I want."

"What happens to someone who isn't excluded?" Pepper asked, curiously, even as Tony made a mental note to make sure that there was absolutely no way Peter could magic himself into that Time stone room. "Do they get zapped?"

"I'm not sure," Peter admitted. "I think it's a barrier of some kind. They just can't go in."

"Well, no harm, no foul," Tony told him. "Obviously you're worried about the sleepwalking, but that isn't new. _We_ knew that, Dr. Bird knows that."

"Tony and I were talking about what he said about you possibly being uncertain about moving into the tower," Pepper told him.

"I'm _not_."

"In case you _were_ …" Tony said. "Even if you didn't know it."

"The place is amazing," Peter reminded them. "It has everything I could ever want – even a pinball machine and access to the network that everyone there gets to use."

"It doesn't have the _Avengers_ ," Stark reminded him. "They come to visit, but only rarely. Anyway, like Pepper was saying, we've been discussing it and living here might be better for _all_ of us – more than living at the tower."

"What?"

"I'm trying to cut back on the hours that I work," Pepper reminded him. "It's a promise I made to Tony, and a commitment that I made when he accepted guardianship of you. When I live at the _tower_ – when I was living there before this all started – I not only started my day _very_ early, even before breakfast with Tony many times, but I _always_ worked late. Because I was _accessible_. Since we've been located here, I've found that I not only start my day at a reasonable time – _after_ a relaxing drive to work – but I make sure that I _end_ my day at a reasonable time as well – which gives me time with Tony, and with _you_. I'm getting used to having that family time, and if I am here I can continue that practice. If I'm at the tower, I might fall back into the habit of overworking."

"And I can work on my projects anywhere, really," Tony pointed out. "Everything's in my head, and I'm pretty mobile. The tech available here is just as good as the tech there."

"You're the one who would have to make the sacrifice," Pepper said.

"What do you mean?"

"In order to get to school, you would have to get up earlier if we lived here than you would if we were in the city," Tony told him. "We're _not_ flying you to school every day. You can ride in with Pepper in the morning, and I can pick you up from school and bring you home – or someone else if I'm not available, or if I'm busy."

"We'll keep our rooms in the tower," Pepper said. "And you'll keep _yours_ – because there may be times when staying over there might be convenient for all parties involved, but we would officially be living out here."

"I can't be Spiderman out here, though."

"We're still working on that one," Tony admitted. "But you don't go out _every_ night being Spiderman, right? Sometimes it's after school – and if you wanted to do that, then you could drive back with Pepper after patrolling your old neighborhood – and on the weekends maybe we could figure something out with Stephen and have you stay at the sanctum overnight."

"It could be figured out," Pepper assured him. "Stephen likes your company, after all."

" _And_ we wouldn't have to deal with crowds of press, that way, either. It's quieter here, and we're both getting old; we can use some peace and quiet."

"Speak for yourself," Pepper told him with a smile.

That made _Peter_ smile, too.

"It's really an ideal solution, Peter," Tony said. "We should have thought of it before. We just needed a catalyst to come up with it. Now I'll get to spend more time with Pepper – and she's not so convenient to the tower that an emergency that anyone could handle will drag her out of bed."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. What do you think?" Stark asked. " _Could_ you handle living out here? It's not always exciting, after all, and there isn't any place close by to get a Big Mac or a Whopper if you get the urge for French fries or onion rings."

"If we can figure out a way that I can still be Spiderman, I'm okay with it." He smiled, suddenly feeling a wave of relief and a lessoning of a burden that he hadn't even known he was bearing. "Thank you. _Both_ of you."

"Don't get _too_ excited," Stark said, feeling smug and satisfied that they'd solved that problem – and pleased that the doctor had figured that part out, anyway. "There's always something that needs to be peeled here. Now that you've proven your abilities, you'll probably be put to work as a kitchen helper."

"I could live with that."

"Enough talking. Are you hungry?" Tony asked. "We've already eaten, so go get something and keep us company until MJ and Ned come find you and claim your attention for the rest of the afternoon."

"Okay."

He got up, but he stopped and hugged Pepper from behind, resting his cheek against hers for a long moment. They made a good argument for living at the compound, but he knew that more than anything, they were doing it for him, and he wanted them to know that he appreciated that sacrifice.

Pepper smiled and brought her hand up to press her palm against his cheek, and Stark's gaze was soft as he watched them together. After a moment, Peter let her go, and Tony cleared his throat, expectantly.

"Me, too."

The boy smiled at that and walked around behind Tony and hugged him, as well, also pressing his cheek against his.

"Thanks, guys."

"You're welcome."


	127. Chapter 127

It was much later in the afternoon when Ned, and then MJ, joined them in the lounge. By then Peter had eaten and he, Tony and Pepper were playing board games to keep themselves occupied and to just enjoy having the time to spend with each other. When the other two teens had joined them and had eaten, Stark shooed them all away. Recognizing that they had spent all morning in bed and were going to spend the evening at a table playing D&D, Tony sent them outside, admonishing them to find something to do but not to go too far.

"Did he just send us outside to play?" MJ asked, looking a little perplexed at that.

They all knew the term, of course, but being sent outside to play wasn't something that was really done in the city – unless it was a trip to the park with an adult guardian – and it was kind of a novelty to all three of them.

"Do you think playing with the VR in the gym constitutes being outside and playing?" Ned asked as they put on jackets and left by the door closest to Peter's rooms.

"No."

"Damn."

MJ looked at the wooded area on the other side of the field.

"We could go look around," she suggested. "Have you guys done any hiking in the trees?"

"No."

"Any wildlife in them?" MJ asked, curiously.

"I know that there are deer," Peter told her. "They come out in the morning sometimes and will graze in the field."

"Let's go look."

Well aware that they almost certainly weren't going to be able to find any, Peter shrugged and the three headed across the field and into the woods. They had barely left the open field area and entered the trees, though, when Peter felt a tingle of magic and a warning from his spider senses and he stopped long enough to let the Cloak of Levitation catch up to them.

The heavy fabric wrapped itself around Peter, exuberantly, rubbing, caressing and loving up on him before it gave Ned a high-five when the boy raised his hand to it.

"Dr. Strange must be here," Ned said, unnecessarily.

"Yeah."

MJ smiled, and reached a hand to the cloak, too, fascinated as always by the relic.

"Are you coming to Montana with us?" Ned asked MJ.

"Yeah. If my parents will let me." She looked at Peter, taking her attention from the cloak. "Stark said you could go _anywhere_?"

"Yeah."

"Why are we going to _Montana_?"

"Oh. Well…" Peter shrugged. "I've never been there. I thought it would be fun. You know, playing in the snow, sledding on a hill. That kind of thing."

"Have you ever been?" Ned asked. "It's going to be great. The place looks amazing, and there's a huge fire place – plus we're snowmobiling in."

"You don't have to sell me, Ned," she reminded him. "I already said I was _going_. I just wanted to make sure I knew why Peter chose Montana, is all."

"I think it will be fun," Peter told her.

She shrugged, and then nodded.

"Yeah. I think it will."

OOOOOOOO

A little more than half an hour after sending the kids off to find something to do – outside – Stark and Pepper looked up from their card game to see Stephen Strange walking toward them with Natasha beside him. She was dressed for the day, rather than actually wearing what amounted to pajamas and looked pleased with herself for being up and about. He had his arm hooked through hers, but they both knew it wasn't to support her. It made Tony smile – the doctor was hooked and well aware of it. Pepper just thought it was sweet.

"Is your doctor okay with you being out of bed?" Pepper asked as Strange pulled a chair out for Romanoff.

" _My_ doctor is fine with it," Natasha said, smiling. " _This_ doctor doesn't seem quite as ready to accept the fact that I am getting better."

"I just don't want you overdoing things and setting yourself up for a setback," Stephen told her.

Again.

"I'm fine."

"Something to drink?"

"Tea."

A moment later Stephen returned with two glasses and sat down at the table, as well.

"Where's Peter?" Natasha asked.

"I sent him and his band of hooligans out to play," Stark said.

"Is _two_ recognizable as a band?" Strange asked. "I'd think four or more would be needed to make it official."

"Ned is active enough for a dozen," Tony pointed out. "That boy's mother must be frazzled, sometimes."

They smiled, seeing the truth in that statement, but they all knew that Tony liked Ned, and was very impressed by the boy's intelligence and openness.

"What happened at Peter's appointment yesterday?" Natasha asked. "He told me it was awful, but then told me to go to sleep and he would tell me later. I meant to ask him today, but he was gone before I woke up."

Since she told them that he had planned to tell her anyway, Stark told the two of them what Dr. Bird had told him. It was something that they should know, at any rate. Natasha looked appalled but Strange only nodded.

"It's a fair question," he told all three of them. "The boy _does_ get intimately close to Natasha when they're together, and sex incorporates a myriad of emotions."

"He's _fifteen_ , Stephen," Tony said, annoyed that Strange wasn't as upset as he had been. "He's too young for that."

Strange raised an eyebrow at Stark.

"How old were you when you lost your virginity?" he asked, certain that the answer wasn't going to be forty-two.

Tony scowled.

"That's different."

"Because…?"

"Because I'm not _Peter_."

Stephen smiled, and shook his head. Both Pepper and Tony looked upset, and while he would have loved nothing more than a chance to get in a dig or two on Tony, this wasn't the moment, and Peter wasn't the subject.

"You guys are reacting exactly like you _should_ ," he told them. "Angry because he asked Peter something that obviously upset him. It's what good parents do – and one of the reasons that many psychologists don't discuss their sessions with parents. It's too easy to get defensive and want to shield their child from the hard questions."

"You think the sex question is okay?"

"Yes. Bear in mind that I'm years from my psychology rotation, wasn't that good at it in the first place and without presuming to know what he was thinking, I'd guess that Dr. Bird had an inkling that Peter didn't want to leave the compound for the tower, and was trying to discover the reason. Blunt rapid fire questions – that don't give Peter a chance to think about his answers – are the best way to get honest responses and _that_ gets the problem figured out faster than forcing the boy through ten sessions with just arduous soft coating to maybe come to the same understanding of what's going on in his head."

"But it upset him."

"I know. And that upsets _you_ , I can tell. He's outside with his friends, though, right? Not hiding in Natasha's bed, or under a lounge chair somewhere. He's not emotionally scarred by this, I can assure you, and obviously there might be a bit of a breakthrough when you mention that he might be uneasy about moving out of here and into the tower."

"He ended up in the _sanctum_ this morning, though," Pepper reminded him, still annoyed for Peter's sake, even if Stephen wasn't willing to be. "The sleepwalking isn't fixed."

"He went there looking for answers, not to _hide_. And he didn't run to Natasha, either. He's trying to find the solution on his own – and is determined to do so – which he can't, of course. But it's clear he wants to fix it."

"We're not moving to the tower," Tony told him. "That might fix some of it, if what Bird thinks is going on is right."

"What?"

Stark explained the reasons that they had come up with as they had given them to Peter, and Strange frowned.

"You're _indulging_ him?"

"Not at all," Pepper said. "I meant everything I told him. I'm looking forward to relaxing my work schedule a bit. I have Vice Presidents and assistants who are more than capable of taking some of my workload from me, and it's time I gave myself a chance to spend more time with Tony – and now Peter."

"You'll _know_ when I'm indulging him," Stark said, smiling, pleased at the fact that Pepper wanted to spend more time with him. It was selfish he knew, but he _wanted_ more of her time. He was willing to share her with Peter.

"Driving lessons in a _Lamborghini_ isn't indulging?"

Stark shrugged.

"It's the least expensive car in my garage with a manual transmission," he pointed out. "I'd rather he wrecked the 200K car than the 400K car, you know? I can't help that Pepper is good at making me money."

Strange rolled his eyes.

"If you say so."

"I'm not going to stop letting him sleep with me," Natasha said, speaking up, finally, and her expression was deadly serious. "It will be a cold day in hell the day that boy comes to me needing to be held and I push him away."

"It won't come to that, Natasha," Stephen assured her, before looking at Tony. "He didn't say to stop letting Peter sleep with Natasha, did he?"

"No."

"Once he's over the worst of the stress, he'll probably seek her out – at least _subconsciously_ – less and less. So he'll stop sleepwalking himself into her bed. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be held, though. I wouldn't expect any of you to push him away. _I_ wouldn't be able to do it, and I'm not particularly a hugger, myself. Give it time. A breakthrough is a good thing, but it's not going to be solved overnight."

"To change the subject just a little," Tony said, leaning forward and feeling a little better about the whole mess with Dr. Bird. "He's not going to be able to wish himself into the room you keep the Time stone in, is he? If he gets it into his head that the thing could be his solution?"

"No. Even if the Mind stone gives him the ability to get beyond the safeguards on it, I've purposely locked him out of that area. He can't get through the barrier. I couldn't take him through it, so he can't be given my memories and abilities to go there."

"That's a relief."

Strange looked at Tony and Pepper.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah."

Pepper nodded, too.

"Yes. Thank you."

He looked at Natasha.

"We'll see."


	128. Chapter 128

They didn't see any deer. They _did_ see some squirrels and plenty of birds and a flash of something that might have been a raccoon or something bigger, but the wildlife wasn't in the mood to be spotted, and they returned to the compound building with nothing to really show for their afternoon but a little exercise.

They stopped in MJ's rooms to get her D&D things and then swung by Peter's so that he and Ned could get his. Both boys were going to use the new characters that they'd made recently for Tony's last campaign and MJ said she'd roll a new one so her cleric wouldn't overpower the rest of the group when they played that evening. They spent a little time rolling the new character out to save time later and Peter loaned her a dwarf miniature from his sizable collection so that she would have a token to use during the campaign.

"Know what would be cool?" Ned said as they gathered their things and headed to the lounge. "D&D in VR."

They had seen most of the programs available in the VR system that Pepper had brought home with her – aside from the movies – and there wasn't anything like that, or that might have been the first thing they tried the evening before. _After_ the Jedi game, of course.

"You should mention it to Pepper," Peter told him. "She could pass it on to their developers, talk to the licensing people and make it. Then you'd get royalties or something. You'd be rich."

"I'll think about it," he said, shrugging.

"It's a good idea," MJ agreed. "I'd play it. If it was done right."

Before Peter could say anything else, his watch chimed.

" _Peter? Where are you guys?"_

"Heading for the lounge."

" _Good. Dinner's being served. Don't dawdle."_

"We won't."

"That's so cool," Ned said, shaking his head.

Peter made a mental note to have Tony call Ned for some reason – just so he could be part of the excitement. There was no sense having a communications watch and never having a chance to use it, after all. And he was well aware that getting a call from Ironman was a lot more exciting than getting a call from Peter Parker.

OOOOOOOO

Dinner was a good time. Natasha was on her feet and ate with them, and so did Strange. Both were in good spirits and engaged in conversation with the teenagers at the table. It was a home-style meal with meatloaf, potatoes and corn on the cob, and they all probably ate more than was really good for them. When the table had been cleared, Tony asked if everyone was ready to try out his new campaign and character sheets, bags of dice and little metal figurines all made appearances.

Tony liked being the DM. He would have enjoyed _playing_ the campaign, of course, but he was a bit of a control freak, and creative enough that he enjoyed telling the others the story as they went along, and had to admit that it was fun for him to watch as they all were carried along on the adventure that he created for them. It hadn't been something that he'd done in a long time, and thought that maybe he'd see if they wanted to make it a once a month practice once everything was settled.

By the time they'd defeated the ice-coated ogre in the cave of a million indifferences, the entire party was still intact – thanks to a couple of very lucky rolls (and a little cheating by the DM who had no intention of killing off his girlfriend's character when she made an unlucky decision) and they had all gained plenty of treasures and experience points to use the next time around.

"I don't want you guys staying up late tonight," Tony told the kids as they were all packing up their things. "We're doing brunch before we take you guys home, and I don't want to deliver a bunch of zombies. Got it?"

Ned and MJ both nodded their agreement.

"Be in the garage by 11, or you're walking to the restaurant," he added for good measure.

"Less than a month and Peter can drive us," Natasha reminded him, smiling at the boy, who grinned.

"As long as I pass my test."

"Are you going to take it in the Pontiac?" Ned asked, gathering up his dice.

"I'm not sure," Peter answered. "Maybe."

"We'll figure it out later," Pepper told them. "Off to bed. All of you."

Her gaze included Natasha, as well, and the spy nodded. She was tired and a little sore, and willing to allow Pepper to boss her around a little as well.

"Peter, come talk to me once you guys walk MJ to her rooms, okay?" Tony requested. "I'll be here."

"Yeah."

The teens left, but none of the adults made a move to get up just yet.

"Do I tell him to sleep in his own bed tonight and hope that he stays in it?" Stark asked the others. "Or suggest he sleeps in Natasha's? Or ours?"

"Ask him what he wants to do, and allow him to do it," Strange suggested. "I'll keep the stone, and try to contain it – or see if I can put a magical alert on it if it vanishes from the sanctum tonight. You already have an alert if he wanders outside or to the pool, right?"

"Yes."

"Then you've done what you can – as usual."

They had coffee while waiting for Peter to return, and the Cloak of Levitation transferred itself from Peter's shoulder to Strange's collar when the boy returned, alone, now. Tony asked Peter what he wanted to do as far as the potential for sleepwalking and the boy hesitated, looking over at Natasha. His expression was so easy to read that even Pepper could see that he was wondering if Romanoff had been told about what Dr. Bird had asked him.

"You can sleep with me, if you want to," she assured him with a smile. "I'm well enough that I can handle the attention a little better, now. Or we can tie your ankle to the bed."

Pepper looked over at Tony, who gave her an innocent look that she didn't buy for a moment, and Peter grinned and shook his head.

"I thought about webbing myself to my bed," he told her, honestly. "But it dissolves after a couple of hours so it wouldn't work. Tying me wouldn't, either, probably, since I could just get loose." He felt better, though, since he now knew that she was aware of the question, and he knew that she was still going to be there for him. "I'll try my own bed to start. Who knows? Maybe I'll even wake up there…"

He didn't look so confident, though.

"If you need me, call me," Tony told him. "Okay?"

"Yeah."

Peter turned to Strange.

"I'm sorry about going to the sanctum…"

Stephen smiled and shook his head.

"You're always welcomed there, Peter. You know that. You don't remember going, though?"

"No. I didn't _break_ anything, did I?"

"No. you just looked through a couple of books."

Peter shook his head, obviously frustrated.

"Go to bed," Tony told him before the conversation could continue. "You look beat."

The boy hadn't had nearly as much sleep as his friends, and he'd stayed up late and gotten up early. Who knew, maybe that would keep him in bed?

"I am," he admitted. "Goodnight."

They watched _him_ leave, too, and Strange shook his head, smiling despite the seriousness of the conversation.

"God, I love that boy. Are you _sure_ you want to keep him, Tony? I'd play you a game of chess for him…"

Stark snorted, and shook his head.

"Not a chance. If I _lost_ I'd have to face that judge and tell _her_ – and I'd rather be boiled alive."


	129. Chapter 129

"Hey, Peter, _wake up_."

The boy frowned, and opened his eyes, sleepily. Ned was standing by his bed, shaking him. He looked around, quickly, and saw that he was in his own bed. He sat up, rubbing his face, tiredly.

"What's up, Ned?"

"Come here and look." He got out of bed and went over to his window, where Ned was pointing excitedly. He had his cell phone in one hand, and the other was now against the glass. Peter saw a dozen deer out on the field, grazing in the very early light of the dawn. "We should go get _MJ_. She'd get a kick out of that, I bet."

"Yeah. Good idea." He glanced out the window again, and then pulled a shirt on. "Keep an eye on them, I'll be right back."

He was quicker than Ned, and wouldn't be challenged if he was running through the corridors quite as readily as Ned might. He headed for the door to his quarters and Ned frowned.

" _Keep an eye on them_? What am I supposed to do if they decide to leave?"

Peter was long gone, so he didn't get an answer – and he knew it wouldn't be a good one, anyway. He opened his friend's fridge, silently so the deer wouldn't hear it, pulled out a pepperoni stick and ate it while he watched the silent grazers.

OOOOOOOO

"MJ?"

He shook her – very careful to make sure he was only touching her shoulder. The girl mumbled something, and pushed his hand away, so he shook her again. This time she opened her eyes and sat up, surprised to see him. Her hair tumbled around her face, and she pushed it out of her eyes, impatiently.

"What's up?"

"You need to come to my room."

She was immediately suspicious.

"Why?"

"There's something you need to see. Come on."

Grumbling about the early hour, she pushed the blankets back and reached for her shoes.

Only a couple of minutes later, they were all looking out his window, watching the deer graze. There were three big males – their antlers showing multiple points – and several does. None had babies with them, but Ned said that the babies from spring were probably the smaller deer, they were just too old to look like babies, any more.

"Let's get closer," Ned said in a whisper - and neither told him that he didn't need to whisper. The deer didn't have that good of hearing, after all. "I want a better picture."

They all agreed to that. Peter grabbed a sweatshirt for himself and handed one to MJ, well aware that the t-shirt she'd gone to bed in wasn't going to be enough to keep her warm. Ned pulled one on, as well, and both boys slid their feet into their shoes and they all headed for the door.

OOOOOOOOO

" _Peter has left the compound building."_

Tony sat up, quickly, glancing at his watch. It was five-thirty.

"Want me to come?" Pepper asked, sleepily, but awake nonetheless.

"No. I'll bring him back here. You keep the bed warm."

He took only enough time to kiss her and then he scrambled out of his bed and into the shoes that he'd started keeping near the bed just for that purpose.

"What entrance, Friday?" he asked, heading for the door.

" _The east – 2 A. He's not moving."_

Which was the one closest to the boy's quarters, Tony knew very well. He broke into a run and made his way through the empty corridors. He stopped, suddenly, though, right as he reached the door, pushed it open and went out into the brisk morning air.

Peter was at the edge of the field, but Tony was pretty sure he wasn't sleepwalking. He was standing with Ned and MJ, and Stark realized that they were watching a bunch of deer grazing. Not surprising him at all, Ned had his phone out and was either shooting pictures or was shooting a video – maybe both.

Not wanting – or _needing_ – to intrude on the scene, he started to back up, his hand already on the door, but Peter turned, alerted by those senses of his. The boy gestured at the deer with a somewhat excited smile and Tony walked over, trying to look as harmless as he could to avoid scaring the deer and ruining the moment for the kids. And for _himself_ , too, since he had to admit he hadn't been so close to one before. A couple were literally only 20 feet away, and while it was obvious they were _aware_ of them, they weren't afraid. Just a little wary.

He moved up beside Peter and put his hand on the boy's shoulder while they watched the little herd graze their way from the side of the field near them toward the wooded area. Finally, though, Tony shivered. In his lounge pants and a t-shirt, he wasn't dressed for the cold morning, and since Peter was fine, he was done.

"I'm going back to bed," he whispered to the boy – although Ned and MJ both turned to look at him. "Try not to get eaten by one of them, okay?"

Peter smiled at that.

"Yeah."

OOOOOOOO

Pepper roused as he joined her in their bed, and cuddled against him, frowning at the chill he was still carrying on his skin and clothes.

"Where's Peter?"

"Still outside."

"What?"

"They're watching some deer grazing," Tony explained. "He's fine."

"Oh." She smiled. "He got you again, huh?"

"Yeah." Stark hugged her close, stealing warmth that he knew she would give him freely. "I don't mind."

She kissed him, soundly, and slid her hand under his shirt, eliciting a soft murmur of contentment from him.

"I don't, either."

OOOOOO

At 11 o'clock everyone was at the garage. Not only the kids and Strange, who popped in to the compound to join them (having decided that it was kind of nice to have a weekly sit down meal with Natasha and the others) but Natasha and Steve, who had been at Barton's but had come home late the night before, and was more than awake enough to join them for brunch. The cloak was absent, for obvious reasons since it hated playing dumb blanket, and Jack had been left with Clint's kids, to be brought home when Barton returned to the compound later that day.

They took the limo, simply because they needed the space, and Happy drove them. Ned and MJ had packed up their things, but with so many people, Tony had told them to stow their bags in Peter's car. When they were done eating, they'd swing back by the compound and get a different car to drive them home in. Not to mention all of them didn't need – or _want_ – to go into the city.

The place was busy, like it normally was on Sunday morning, but they were led to the private room that Tony preferred – and by now the staff pretty much kept it ready for him and his group. Stark always caused a stir when he went somewhere, but with the addition of Black Widow and Captain America it was that much more a commotion – although most people tried to be cool about their rubbernecking and simply pulled out phones to take photos as the group passed their tables on the way to the room.

Ned grinned, excitedly, well aware that he'd been on the other side of those looks of amazement and excitement and now he was on this side, _being_ watched. He was thoroughly enjoying the attention, even though no one actually pointed at him and whispered _there's Ned!_ like they did when the famous members of the group passed by. He heard a couple say Peter's name, though, and nudged his friend, still grinning.

Peter just smiled and shook his head, pleased that Ned was having a good time, and also noticing that Steve and Tony had flanked MJ, as if to protect her from both the publicity that she clearly hadn't expected and anyone who might think about doing something foolish – like trying to rush up and say hello with a camera. Tony had Pepper's hand firmly in his own, but he nodded to anyone who greeted him as they walked by.

When they were seated it calmed down. The doors to the private room kept the public out, for the most part, and the only ones allowed in and out were the usual wait staff, who were attentive, but not quite as awestruck as the people in the main dining room. This wasn't the first time they had seen Tony – or even the others. It was becoming a weekly thing for them, as well.

Ned had already told everyone about the deer as they'd driven to the restaurant, but he never really ran out of things to talk about, and he was seated beside Pepper and the two were discussing his opinion of the VR tech that the kids had tried out that weekend.

"Did you have a good weekend?" Tony asked Peter, who was looking across the table, watching MJ talk to Steve and Natasha.

He jumped, startled, and blushed.

"Yeah. It was good. Thanks."

Stark forced himself not to smile.

"Good. Let's go get something to eat."

They didn't all go out for their food at once, not wanting to crowd the buffet, so they didn't all finish at the same time. Ned was standing beside Peter, debating if he wanted seconds on potatoes or if he wanted to try the yams, when his watch chimed at him. Startled, he looked over at Peter, but his friend had his hands full; a plate in one hand and an uncooperative spoonful of Jell-O that refused to allow itself to be served onto his plate in the other.

He set his own plate down, well aware that it had to be Tony, since it wasn't Peter.

"Yeah, Mr. Stark?"

" _Ned? Bring me a piece of pumpkin pie, will you?"_

Peter hid his smile when Ned looked over at him, as excited as if Stark had asked him to suit up for some clandestine mission.

"Yeah."

" _No whipped cream, okay?"_

"Okay."

" _Thanks."_

Ned picked up his plate, again, and decided yams. Then he nudged Peter, jabbing his elbow into his friend's side a bit harder than he probably intended and making the malcontent Jell-O fall off his spoon once more.

" _Holy shit_ , Peter. Dude, I'm totally going to figure out a way to be an Avenger. You _know_ that, right?"

Peter nodded, seriously.

"There's no reason you can't be."

They didn't _all_ have super powers, after all, and Ned was way too smart to just be his guy in the chair.


	130. Chapter 130

_A/N: Happy thanksgiving, all! Work and family time, today. No promises on another chapter until very late because of it. Might fall into a turkey induced coma later. Also, unless something happens to change things, I am considering making the Montana trip its own story, as it doesn't have much to do with the theme of this one._

OOOOOO

"Are you nervous?"

"No. _Kind of_."

Pepper smiled, and reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, straightening an errant strand and smoothing it.

"They're just going to eat lunch with us and get to know you. If you don't like a question that someone asks, you don't have to answer it. Okay?"

"Okay."

It was Monday, early afternoon, and they were at the tower getting ready for Peter's official introduction to the media. As previously agreed on, there were five members of the press, and they were going for the most relaxed settings as possible, which was going to be something similar to brunch, with a buffet that was entirely self-serve. The food was in warming trays at a long table against the closest wall, and there was a bartender manning the bar for any beverages that might be desired.

The five reporters had also been allowed one official photographer, who would then share out all the photos taken equally – although she would still have the credit for every photo so she was more than fine with the restriction that she wasn't allowed to take any video of the affair.

Right now, the press folks were getting situated at a round banquet table that was specially made up in the party area, a place that would be most comfortable for the meal and for those attending. It was round so that no one would have to strain to see anyone else, and made for a more casual environment. Natasha and Happy had already verified that all cell phones were checked at the entrance, although they did allow audio recorders so that the reporters didn't have to scribble Peter's responses to their questions down on notepads by their water glasses or something equally inconvenient.

Pepper and Peter were in her office and Tony was talking to the press, seeing if they had any questions and reminding them not so subtly that they were guests and to act like it. He also reminded them that a few topics were completely off limits – mostly May (who they all knew about as her death was a matter of public record), Peter's parents (also public) and where he went to school. That was also a matter of public record once his name had been released, but there was no reason to give anyone any ideas about ambushing the boy there by mentioning it in a press story.

Then he reminded them that there wasn't a specific timeline, so there was no need to throw questions at Peter like it was an inquisition. The reporters all agreed, of course, and the place was practically buzzing with anticipation. Tony then nodded at Happy, who went and fetched Peter and Pepper.

The male reporters at the table stood respectfully for Pepper as she and Peter walked across the room to the table, and Tony pulled a chair out for Pepper, who smiled a greeting to everyone – although _they_ were all watching Peter. The boy was dressed as casually as the occasion was supposed to be, wearing jeans and a polo shirt, and he nodded a hello to the umbrella guy, who smiled a greeting of his own.

He recognized all of them. There were three men and two women, and except for umbrella guy, the others were all anchors on the major news networks. The woman with the camera he didn't recognize at all, but he wasn't worried. He just shook hands with each of them, awkwardly, and then sat down in the spot between Tony and Pepper.

Before they started asking questions, they all went to the buffet table to fill their plates. Umbrella guy – who turned out to be a freelance photographer and hopeful reporter, who admitted that the company he was keeping (meaning the other journalists) were way out of his league – gestured for Peter to go ahead of him in the line and Peter grinned when he realized that they were wearing the same shirt.

Once everyone had a plate in front of them and had visited the bar, the questions began, each reporter smiling at him and doing their best to relax him since they all decided that he did look a little nervous. They were very good at their jobs, after all, and each prided themselves on being expert interviewers.

Peter answered them as honestly and succinctly as he could.

"How long have you known Tony Stark?"

"A couple of years."

Almost.

"Where did you first meet?"

Tony frowned at that, but Peter's answer was immediate.

"At an expo."

"Peter? What's it like living with Ironman?"

"It's great. Yeah."

"Have you tried on the suit?"

Peter smiled at that, and shook his head.

"No. It probably wouldn't fit very well."

"I understand he's teaching you to drive. How's that going?"

"I got pulled over the first time."

"For speeding?"

"For going too _slow_."

This made them laugh, and Happy leaned over to Natasha from where they were watching things.

"He's a natural with them."

"Yeah."

"What's your favorite subject in school?"

"Science."

"How do your friends feel about your change in status?"

He shrugged, modestly.

"I'm not sure. Excited, I think."

 _Ned_ was, anyway.

"What do you do for fun?"

"Read. Build things."

What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"An Avenger."

That made them all smile, and the photographer snapped a few pictures.

The questions went on and on, everything from his favorite color and favorite food and what three items he'd want if he were stranded on an island out in the middle of nowhere. Peter didn't mind the questions. None of them were hard to answer, and he didn't feel like any of them were trying to trick him or anything like that. They seemed to be exactly what Pepper had said. They just wanted to get to know him.

The last question of the day came from Umbrella guy, who had mostly deferred to the others, but had carefully recorded all the answers.

"Are you living here at the tower?" He asked Peter. "Or at the Avenger facility?"

Peter hesitated.

"At the Avenger facility."

The reporters weren't in any hurry to finish the meal, even after they were done asking Peter his questions. They turned their questions to Tony and Pepper as they all served themselves desert. The questions were mostly all about how it felt to have a teenager in the house – so to speak – and what kind of adjustments they were making in their lifestyles.

"It's a lot busier now than it ever was before," Pepper told them, resting a fond hand on the boy's arm. "We have a lot to learn."

They finally ended the gathering and all of the journalists shook hands with Peter, Pepper and Tony before leaving and Stark looked pleased.

"That went well, yeah?" he asked Pepper.

"Yes."

"Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah. That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"No, it was smooth. Almost scary smooth."

"They're easier to control when they're not in a large pack." Pepper told them with a smile. "What are you guys doing the rest of the day?"

"We're going to take Romanoff to run some errands she needs to do – see how her car repair is going, and maybe swing by the sanctum and pester Stephen and Wong. You'll be home at a reasonable time?"

"Yes."

He kissed her goodbye, gathered up his boy and his somewhat healed super spy and they left.

OOOOOOOO

Strange opened the door and smirked when he saw who it was standing on his stoop.

"I gave at the office."

Stark rolled his eyes, but Peter grinned, amused as he always was when he saw Strange tease Tony.

"We're looking for cookies," Stark told him, pushing his way past the magician and into the sanctum. "Got any?"

"No."

"Wiggle us up some," he suggested, waving his fingers.

Strange shook his head, smiling a greeting to Peter and brushing a hand along Natasha's arm as she went by him, as well. The Cloak of Levitation soared into the room and immediately attached itself to Peter, cheerful as always, and clearly happy to see him.

"How did the luncheon go?"

"Smooth," Stark told him, looking around like he always did when he went to the sanctum.

He didn't like to admit it, but the place never ceased to impress him.

"No mad riot from those who weren't invited?"

"Not with Natasha and Happy hovering over the proceedings." Stark looked at Strange, expectantly. "Still waiting on those cookies…"

Now it was Strange's turn to roll his eyes, and again Peter smiled.

"Natasha? Peter? Can I offer you anything to drink? A snack? _Cinnamon rolls_?"

OOOOOOO

They spent a couple of hours at the sanctum, engaging in idle conversation with Stephen and with Wong, who came to the kitchen to join them not long after Strange had seated everyone at the island and provided them all with a plate of cookies and coffee – except Peter, who was hungry enough to eat a sandwich. Stark told them about the luncheon, and when asked, Natasha told Stephen that the work on her car was coming along, but would still be a week or so.

Strange and Wong were both good company, really, and there was nothing urgent about their visit. It was literally one of those _just in the neighborhood and thought we would stop by_ sort of deals. They looked at a couple of interesting relics that Wong had received from the London sanctum, but they were only interesting because one changed colors constantly and the other _looked_ like a pocket watch but had sharp teeth and was clearly not something to put in one's pocket.

Tony didn't let Peter touch either of them.

Stark and Peter finally left, but Natasha stayed to keep Strange company. The doctor told Tony that he'd bring her home later so he wouldn't have to send Pepper to swing by and get her when she headed home from the tower, and then, of course, the Master of the Mystic Arts and the assassin had to deal with Tony.

"You kids stay out of _trouble_ ," he said to them, slyly, as they walked him and Peter to the door.

"We'll be fine."

"No funny business. Wong? I trust you'll make sure that they keep four inches of space between them at all times? Thank you."

"Tony…"

"I'm just _saying_ …" Stark said, innocently. "Curfew is midnight, Cinderella. Don't make me send out the hounds."

"The compound only has _one_ hound," Peter reminded him. "And he's pretty little."

"Don't make me send out the _baby hound_ ," Tony said, correcting himself as they reached door. "And don't stay up too late. Not if you're coming with us tomorrow."

"Where are you going tomorrow?" Strange asked, curiously, even though he knew he should have just waited and asked Natasha when he had her alone.

"Secret mission," Stark said, mysteriously. "If I tell you, then I have to kill you."

The doctor rolled his eyes, amused.

"The only problem with that statement is that I could totally kick your ass."

"Natasha wouldn't let you," Tony said, walking out the door. "Have fun, you guys."

"Where are you going tomorrow?" Peter asked him, unaware that on the other side of the closed door, Strange was asking Natasha the same thing.

And getting a much more satisfying answer.

" _We_ , Peter. Where are _we_ going…"

He was suddenly a lot more interested.

"Where are _we_ going?"

"On a voyage of self-improvement."

"What?"

"It's a _secret_. You'll find out tomorrow."


	131. Chapter 131

Peter spent the time between when they returned to the compound and when Pepper arrived from the city playing with Jack. The puppy was always up for a game of tug of war, or catch me if you can, and Peter took him for a walk out in the trees, watching as squirrels ran up tree trunks and scolded the puppy for chasing them. He didn't mind spending time alone in the woods. It was quiet (aside from the barking puppy) and it was relaxing and Peter was beginning to like being in the outdoors more and more.

It was getting dark when Tony messaged him that Pepper was arriving and asked if he was ready to eat dinner. He told him he'd be right there, took Jack back to Steve and met Pepper and Stark in the lounge.

She smiled when he walked over and greeted her with one of his hugs from behind.

"Where have _you_ been?" she asked, feeling the chill from the day lingering on his clothes and his cheek when she reached up and touched it.

"I took Jack out into the woods so he could chase squirrels."

"What will he do if he catches one?"

"He won't," Peter assured her. "He barks at them and lets them know he's coming."

Before Peter sat down Tony asked him to go to the bar and order their dinner and then the three of them sat and Peter listened while Pepper told Tony about her day, and what kind of deals she'd made after they'd left her.

"You're going to be in Seattle all day tomorrow?" Pepper asked Stark once their dinner was delivered and they started eating.

Stark rolled his eyes and Peter grinned, excitedly.

"Well _that_ cat is well and truly out of the bag…" he complained.

Pepper smiled, realizing from their reactions that he hadn't told Peter what the plan for the next day had been.

"Sorry. If you're going to keep something a secret, you're going to have to let me know that it's a _secret_."

"We're going to Seattle?" Peter asked, just to clarify.

"Yes. Steve and Clint are picking up a couple of parts at Boeing, Natasha is going to go, and you and I are going to take advantage of the hills in the area to continue your driving lessons. That way you know how to drive a manual on a hill."

"It's done differently?" he asked, confused.

Pepper smiled.

"It's definitely something you should learn. Just in _case_."

"So while they're doing their delivery and flirting with the coffee girl, you and I will be driving all over the Puget Sound area."

"Sounds good."

"And I will be home alone. Puppy sitting."

"We'll have Stephen come and keep you company," Tony assured her. "Or you can go to the sanctum."

"And let Jack eat one of his relics?" Pepper asked, facetiously. "They'd both kill me."

"If Jack ate the _teleporting rock_ , do you think the puppy would come when the rock was summoned?" Stark asked.

"That's not an experiment I care to try," she told him, firmly.

They ate dinner and while the adults were relaxing over a cup of coffee, Tony looked over at Peter.

"I spoke with Vision today about the possibility of trying to connect you in with the Mind stone to see if there's anything it can do to help with the sleepwalking thing. He's willing to give it a go, but when is going to be up to you, since you're the one who's going to be facing the thing."

"It can't hurt to try talking to it," Peter pointed out.

"It certainly _can_ ," Tony reminded him, well remembering the fever and headache Peter had suffered the last time he'd encountered the stone. "But we'll do what we can to minimize the reaction."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Do we really _need_ to risk it?" Pepper asked. "You didn't sleepwalk last night, or Saturday night, right?"

"I woke up in my bathtub this morning," Peter answered.

Stark frowned.

"You didn't mention that."

"It wasn't full of water."

"Still something I should _know_ , okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"It's okay."

Peter hesitated.

"The only reason I need to be near the stone is to get its attention, right?"

"From what I understand," Tony agreed. "It talks to you, though, right? Even when you're not next to it?"

"It doesn't really _talk_ to me," Peter corrected. "More like it sends images and memories – that kind of thing. I could try to connect with it from a distance. If I knew what I wanted to tell it."

Stark frowned, obviously thinking that through, and then he shrugged.

"Just don't try anything potentially _dangerous_ without letting me know, first, okay? I don't want you getting yourself into anything you're not ready to handle without help."

"Okay."

"And don't let it talk you into thinking that you can do something that you can't do," he added, remembering something that Stephen had said a while back, but that they hadn't discussed with Peter at the time.

"I won't."

"Good." Satisfied, Tony looked at both of the, now. "What do you guys want to do tonight?"

"I have _homework_ ," Peter reminded him. "Ned brought me a lot."

"That's for _morning_ , though, remember?"

"When are we going to Seattle?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"I can't do it on the jet."

"You _could_."

"I don't _want_ to do it on the jet."

He'd rather be able to enjoy the flight.

Pepper smiled at the slight disagreement, enjoying the fact that Peter was becoming more assertive, now, when dealing with Tony, and wasn't letting him have his way all the time.

"You'd leave Pepper alone tonight?"

She snorted and shook her head.

"Oh, no. You aren't going to use me to guilt trip him into doing what you want him to do," she said, quickly, before Peter could fall for that. "There's no rule that he _has_ to spend every evening with us, and there might be some nights that we want to do something that he doesn't – like play cards."

Stark scowled, but Pepper only smiled.

"Fine." He turned to the boy and shooed him away, giving in grudgingly. "Go do your homework."

Peter nodded and left, not at all offended at being ran off, and Pepper watched as Tony finished his coffee, looking smug.

"Cards?"

"Sounds good."

OOOOOOOO

The homework in the bag was diverse. Several pages of math, two essays on the subject of his choice, a play – which made him groan because he hated reading plays – three books that he didn't have to read the entire book but had to memorize several passages in (which he tossed aside for now) and a chapter of his science book along with several experiments that he was supposed to do with the items at hand that he had at home.

He settled himself into the spot that he preferred, sitting on the floor in between the coffee table and the couch, with his back against the couch, using the table as a work desk. He started with the math, since that was easiest for him.

He half expected the Mind stone to help him out, but he realized that he didn't need the help. The math wasn't that hard, since it was a review chapter, and apparently the gem knew it, because he ended up doing all of the problems on his own and felt like he had accomplished something by the time he stretched and got up off the floor to go get something to snack on from his fridge.

A tap on his door interrupted him and he looked over when Natasha stuck her head in the door.

"Busy?"

"Just working on homework."

"Want to spend time with me?"

He smiled.

"Yeah. What are you going to do?"

"Want to watch a movie?"

He nodded,

"Here? Or in your rooms?"

"Here."

They settled on the sofa, cuddled together with a couple of blankets. Peter handed her the remote, well aware that she had pretty good taste in movies and he wouldn't hate whatever she chose for them. Then he rested his head on her shoulder, wondering if Tony had told her that he'd ended up in his tub from sleepwalking and she was there to make sure it didn't happen that night.

He didn't ask, and she didn't tell. Eventually he fell asleep, though, lulled by her comforting presence and an arm that she put around him.


	132. Chapter 132

_A/N: Turkey coma!_

OOOOOOO

Stephen Strange arrived in the usual place outside of Peter's quarters fairly early the next day. Automatically, he watched as the Cloak of Levitation detached itself from his collar and waited to see where it went. The relic headed away from the living quarters and down the corridor that led outside. Strange followed, and soon found himself outside, walking toward the Quinjet pad, which was a busy place that morning, despite the early hour.

He walked over to stand beside Tony Stark, who was standing to one side, presumably supervising everything going on – although none of the participants needed his assistance. Peter – now bedecked with a very enthusiastic piece of heavy fabric – was wearing a flight suit and standing under the belly of the jet with Clint, who was also in flight readiness and was showing the boy something that probably had to do with a preflight check. Pepper was standing beside him, obviously ready for her day, and probably planning to leave for the tower when the others took off.

Steve Rogers was at the rear of the jet, focused on Natasha, who was behind the wheel of Tony's Lamborghini and was driving the car carefully up the ramp into the belly of the jet.

"Did you see the paper?" he asked them.

Pepper smiled.

"Of course. It's a very good article, I think."

"I agree. Think it will do the trick?"

"Probably. Now that they know all about him, they don't have any reason to try to find any secrets – or to pester him for an exclusive."

"Why are you taking the Lamborghini?" Strange asked, changing the subject. "They have _cars_ in Seattle."

"They have hills in _New York_ , too," Stark pointed out. He shrugged. "It's the car he's learning to drive in. I'd just as leave he not be behind the wheel of a car he's not familiar with in an _area_ he's not familiar with – especially with me in that car with him."

"Is it safe for me to say you're indulging him, now?"

Stark nodded, and Pepper smiled.

"Yeah. Probably. But he's worth it. Besides, they were _going_ to invite him to go with them, anyway – and I would have said yes, since there's no reason he couldn't. This way I get to spend time with him, too. And he _does_ need to learn how to handle a stick with hills."

They watched as the car was loaded.

"Not a lot of space for a car."

Stark smiled.

"Which is why _Romanoff_ is loading it. If _she_ scratches it, I can complain."

" _And_ she's a better driver?"

"Maybe."

"When will you be back?"

"Fairly late, most likely. You're going to keep Pepper company this evening?"

Strange smiled at Pepper.

"Sure. Why aren't you _going_?"

"I wasn't invited."

Which he knew wasn't true.

"She'd be bored. Peter and I will be driving, and the others are going to basically spend the day making a coffee run." He smirked. "Although I'm sure Natasha will look for another shirt for your collection."

The doctor rolled his eyes, even though he was sure that Tony was right.

They watched as Natasha came out of the jet, and smiled when she saw Strange. She glanced over, almost automatically checking on Peter's location, and then went over to join the two men standing with Pepper on the edge of the landing pad.

"It fit?" Tony asked, redundantly.

"Barely. There's not much room for passengers." She smiled at Strange. "We could make room for _you_ , if you want to come, though."

"And get between you and the cashier at the coffee shop?" he asked. "I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, Pepper and I are going on a date tonight."

Stark snorted and slapped Stephen on the shoulder, taking Pepper's hand possessively in his own and pulling her over to walk over to where Peter and Clint were finishing the last of their external preflight, giving Strange and Natasha a little privacy for their goodbyes.

"How are we doing?" He asked Clint, putting a hand on Peter's shoulder and giving the cloak a slight pat by way of hello, as well.

"We're ready," Clint told them. "The car's loaded?"

"Yeah."

Clint turned to Peter.

"Come do the flight deck preflight with me."

The boy nodded, and Pepper hugged him before he could escape.

"Have fun, okay?"

Peter grinned and returned the hug, even though the cloak was impeding his right arm a little.

"We'll bring you back a surprise."

"I hope so."

The boy walked away with Clint, and Pepper turned to Tony, kissing his cheek.

"You have the insurance card for the Lamborghini?"

"Absolutely. You'll be okay?"

"Of course. I'll have a little peace and quiet for a change."

"Where's the fun in that?"

She kissed him again and left him, walking over to stand beside Stephen, while Natasha entered the rear of the jet with Tony. An instant later, the Cloak of Levitation came zipping out of the jet and found its place on his collar – clearly it didn't want to go to Seattle, even with Peter.

"Alone at last," Strange told her, sliding an arm around her waist. " _Whatever_ shall we do?"

Pepper smiled.

"How about letting me take advantage of instant transportation to the tower?"

"Of course."

The ramp closed, and the engines powered up. Before the jet took off, the two of them vanished.

OOOOOOOOO

Clint piloted them out, with Steve in the copilot seat. Natasha, Tony and Peter found places on the drop down jump seats in the back, right in front of the car, which took up most of the cargo area. They all had headsets on so they were able to finalize their plans for the day – which mainly included landing at Boeing field like they normally did and then going separate ways.

Tony and Peter would go driving, and the others were going to spend some time talking to the engineers about the parts that they were picking up and would then head into the city, where they would plan to meet up for a late lunch. After that, they would allow some time for Peter to play tourist, even though he'd been to Seattle before, and hit some of the more touristy places – like the space needle or the underground city tour.

The flight was smooth and the weather was clear, and Peter took advantage of that to go into the cockpit and lean over Steve a little to take pictures of the Rocky Mountains as they flew over them and immediately sent them off to Ned pointing out all the snow. Montana was somewhere down there, after all, and they would be, too, in a couple of weeks.

When they landed a few hours after leaving the compound, Stark and Peter stayed out of the way to allow Natasha to unload the car for them – although Peter was pretty sure he was good enough by now that he could have done it without difficulty. He didn't see how driving on hills could be that much different than just on the level roads where he'd been learning, but he'd heard stories and seen YouTube videos so he supposed it was a good thing to learn. Besides, it gave him time to spend with Tony – and a chance to fly with the Avengers. It was the best of all worlds, really.

OOOOOOOOO

"I'm sorry."

"No need to be. It's all part of the learning process. I did it more than once when I was learning to drive on hills."

"Really?"

"Yeah. This is why we're doing it. _And_ why we didn't start in the city, first."

They looked at the rear of the Lamborghini, which had three different colors of paint now gracing the foreign sports car's rear end – the result of contact with three different cars that had had the sad misfortune of being behind Peter on the occasions that he had been forced to stop the car on an incline to wait for a light, or for traffic.

Tony had – wisely – decided that one of the quiet little suburbs to the south of Seattle was a good place to start the lesson, and he'd done the driving first, giving Peter a chance to watch how he handled the car on the somewhat steep hills. Then, once Peter decided he was ready, they swapped places and Peter got behind the wheel.

And had promptly rolled back into the front of a Range Rover belonging to a very understanding businessman. He assured Peter that he'd done it a few times, himself, and had simply taken a picture of the Lamborghini's insurance card and exchanged information with Tony before wishing them good luck.

Two more times it happened – once with a Honda minivan, and the other with a small compact car – but by the time they were ready to call it a day on the lesson, Peter was a lot more comfortable with the hills and the traffic, and he had to admit that it had been a great idea. By the time Tony was done with him, he was sure he'd be competent enough to drive anywhere.

"You're doing great," Tony assured him as they traded places before heading into Seattle to meet up with the others. "We'll hold off on going to San Francisco for a while, though."

He'd need more than one lesson for that city – no matter how well he did.


	133. Chapter 133

They met the others in the city center, under the Space Needle since it was the most obvious place to meet. The good thing about being in Seattle for most of them was that the people there weren't used to seeing the Avengers and without their uniforms, their technology and their jet (which was several miles to the south and safely parked at Boeing Field) no one actually recognized them. That made it easier for them to blend in with the tourist crowd which allowed Peter to enjoy the afternoon that much more.

Tony enjoyed himself, too. He truly enjoyed spending time with the others, and adding Peter's company only made it that much better. They all had a somewhat late lunch at the revolving restaurant at the top of the Space Needle, and Peter spent most of that meal watching the view of the city below. After they ate, they went through the Pacific Science Center, which was close at hand, and spent their afternoon messing with interactive exhibits and watching a 3D I-Max space short at the planetarium there.

Peter was amused when Tony (and sometimes Steve) would photobomb a tourist taking a picture without those people even realizing it in most cases. He could imagine what they would probably think once they actually took a look at their photos and realized it was Captain America, or Tony Stark in their vacation pictures. Tony dragged him into a few as well, but Peter was pretty sure that the only people who might recognize _him_ were the three people whose cars he'd rolled into earlier that day – or some random tourist visiting from New York, perhaps.

When they left it was already getting dark, and they made a very quick stop at a tourist spot for a few gifts for Pepper and to allow Natasha to find another shirt for Stephen – chosen by _her_ but approved by Tony, who was obviously already trying to think of how he was going to get the doctor into it.

Then they parted ways for the moment. Peter and Tony went back to the Lamborghini to take it back to Boeing and Steve shepherded his party into the car that they'd borrowed for their own drive into Seattle. They met back at the field, near the Quinjet and once more it was Natasha who loaded the car into the tight confines of the jet. Steve and Clint verified that their payload had been delivered as well and was securely fastened and then Peter assisted Natasha with the preflight – which never got old, as far as he was concerned.

When they took off from Washington, he was in the copilot position, but somewhere over Iowa, he swapped out with Clint, in order to make sure that Tony didn't think he was being ignored. He went over and sat down on a jump seat beside Stark, who looked like was dozing, but he opened his eyes when the boy sat down.

"Did you have a good day?" Tony asked him.

Peter nodded.

"It was great."

"What was the best part?"

"Spending time with you guys."

"But which _part_?"

" _All_ of it," Peter told him, sincerely. "We could be sitting around doing nothing but people watching, and it would be fun."

"As fun as riding on a rollercoaster?"

"Would I be on the rollercoaster with _you_? Or alone?"

"I'm not riding a rollercoaster."

"Why not? You don't get motion sick…"

He wouldn't be able to do what he did as Ironman if he did, obviously.

"Because I'm a control freak," Stark told him. "I like to be in charge of the motion. I'm not when it comes to a rollercoaster."

"How come you're not flying the jet?" Peter asked.

"Because I like to not _crash_ , and I'm not a pilot."

"Oh."

"Which doesn't mean I couldn't _be_ a pilot," he pointed out. "But there really isn't a need for me to be able to fly a plane – or the jet."

"It's pretty fun," Peter told him.

"I know." He changed the subject. "Tell me about the homework you have this week. Anything you're not sure of?"

Which Peter understood meant to mean was there anything that he was going to stress about. He shook his head and they discussed the various assignments and essays – along with the play he was supposed to read – as they journeyed east and the evening grew into night. It was a bit later than they fully intended for it to be when they finally landed at the compound, but Pepper was waiting for them when they did, with Jack asleep in her arms and Stephen Strange standing beside her.

"We'll unload everything tomorrow," Steve decided as they all gathered up their things and Natasha and Clint did a quick post flight. "It's late."

"And you want to spend time with your puppy," Clint said, looking over his shoulder at Rogers.

"Yeah."

He didn't bother to deny it. Instead he slapped the ramp release and led the group down the ramp toward the people waiting for them. As if he had his own spider senses of his own, Jack woke just before Steve reached for the puppy to take him from Pepper's arms. Just in time, really, since Tony was ready to put his arms around her and greet her as if he hadn't seen her in weeks, instead of only a matter of hours. She hugged him, and then hugged Peter, who also had his hands (figuratively) filled with the greeting from the Cloak of Levitation and was trying to hold onto the bag of souvenirs that he'd brought home.

They all ended up in the lounge despite the late hour, and Tony told Pepper and Strange about Peter's driving lesson before letting the others fill in the rest of the afternoon's exploits. Strange smiled at the shirt that Natasha had bought him, but intended to put it with every other shirt that he'd drop dead before being seen in public wearing, and then sat back and nursed a drink while Pepper told them all about their day – which was not that interesting compared to the day in Seattle, but was filled with puppy wrangling.

Eventually, Pepper decided that she was going to go to bed, and she shooed her family off to bed as well. The cloak gave Peter a final caress before moving back to Strange's collar and the boy told everyone goodnight and left with Steve, who was carrying Jack since the puppy had once more fallen asleep, only now it was in Steve's arms instead of Pepper's.

"Thanks for taking me," Peter told him as they walked toward their rooms. "It was a lot of fun."

"You're good company," Steve assured him. "And welcome any time. You know that, right?"

"Yeah." He shrugged, though. "It's just hard to believe it, sometimes."

"I imagine so," he acknowledged. "But it's true all the same."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." They stopped at Peter's door. "I know you're slated for homework during the morning hours, normally, but would you mind keeping an eye on Jack for me tomorrow so I can help Clint install the parts we just picked up?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Thanks."

They parted ways, and Peter went to bed, smiling and feeling pretty content. He had another good day under his belt, after all. He felt like things were fitting together, for some reason. If only he could figure out the sleepwalking thing. Life would be okay – _good_ , even.

May had chosen well for him. He'd thought so at the time, of course, even though it had been so painful to grasp, then. He was certain of it, now.


	134. Chapter 134

"Who found him?"

"Janitor. He called the control center, and they call Fury – who passed it on to me."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah. I put him back to bed."

"Why his and not with Natasha?"

"Because if he wakes up in his own bed it's a victory – of sorts. He wakes up with her – or with _us_ – he knows immediately that he was on the move in the middle of the night and his day begins with a negative connotation."

"Good point." Pepper put her arms around him and closed her eyes. It was still early enough that she could go back to sleep, and she was sorely tempted to do just that. "Do we know for sure he was _sleepwalking_?" she asked. "He might have just been reading and fallen asleep…"

Stark shook his head, and closed his eyes.

"There were about fifty books around him – all about psychology and sleep disorders and curing them. I don't know where he magicked them up from but I know he didn't have them yesterday, and I doubt he would have carried all of them into the commissary for some light reading."

"Do you think he got them from Stephen?"

"They didn't look like magic books – although some were in different languages. I recognized French and Spanish – and we can look at them later since I told them to stack them behind the bar in the lounge in case we can figure out where they came from to return them."

"So he's still trying to find his own cure."

"Probably," Tony agreed. "I know he's stressing it."

"At least he isn't going to _them_. I'd much rather he brought the books to him."

"Yeah, me, too." Stark pulled her head down to his chest and brushed a kiss against the top of her head. "Go to sleep. He's fine. He's going to puppy sit Jack for Steve while I drive you to work tomorrow and I don't want you cranky."

"They could come…" she said, mostly asleep.

"I'm not cleaning puppy vomit out of the car. Just in case."

OOOOOOOOO

Peter was awake in time to have breakfast with Tony and Pepper before they left for the city. It was still a novelty to him to actually sit down and eat with them and listen to them discuss what they were going to do that day, or at least what they had planned, since sometimes they didn't always turn out to be the same thing. It was even more of a novelty that _he_ was included in the conversation.

Before, he wouldn't sit down to breakfast. He'd grab something on his way to school – or get something at school. He any May had often sat down to dinner together – usually at a restaurant after a failed culinary experiment – but rarely had they done breakfast. Not even on the weekends, really. He wondered idly as he watched them if his parents had been like him and May, or more like Pepper and Tony.

"I'll be back sometime around lunch," Stark told Peter, pulling him out of his reverie. "When Steve is done using your skills at dogsitting, get to work on reading that play. If you get the crappy homework out of the way, it'll make the rest easier to do."

"Okay."

"What play is it?" Pepper asked, curiously. "Shakespeare?"

"No. Something called _Desire under the Elms_."

She frowned.

"Do I even want to know what it's about?"

He smiled, understanding the question immediately.

"Ned said he looked through it, and it's nothing like what the title makes it sound like."

"Of course he did," Tony said.

Of course, at that age _he_ would have, too, and would have immediately hoped for illustrations, as well.

Pepper smiled at that.

"Do you need anything from the city, Peter?"

"I can't think of anything. Thanks."

They finished eating, and then he walked with her and Tony to the garage before going to find Steve and getting Jack.

OOOOOOOOO

"Hey, don't go too far ahead of me," Peter admonished the puppy, pushing a low slung branch out of his way and grinning at the squirrel the lab puppy had just chased up a tree. "I don't want to have to tell Steve that I had to go find you…"

The more he thought about that, the more Peter decided that maybe he shouldn't be letting Jack run free without his leash on. Steve never used one to keep Jack secured around the compound, but Peter knew that he was trying to teach him to walk on a leash. He whistled to the puppy, who cocked his head at the boy and then sat down at the base of the tree and barked at the squirrel.

Another thing that Steve could work on.

He walked over knelt down and secured Jack's leash to his collar, and the puppy immediately started chewing on it. They had been out in the wooded area for almost an hour. Peter was taking advantage of the fact that it wasn't raining to get some exercise for himself and some fresh air for him and the puppy. He'd decided to go into the woods again, hoping that he'd see some deer, and maybe get bonus points from MJ if he managed to take some pictures to send to her.

So far, no deer. Only the squirrels and a few rabbits for Jack to chase, but Peter had more or less stayed parallel to the road, and decided that that might be why. He was well aware that he wasn't a woodsman, and had no desire to get lost walking with Jack and be forced to call for a search party for himself, so he more or less had the road in sight.

Which was probably another reason to keep Jack on his leash, he figured.

They weren't traveling on a straight path, or anything, but they had been walking for a while, so he was thinking that they should head back when he felt a slight edginess – almost a tingle in the back of his head that made him grip Jack's leash a little tighter, just in case it was a heads up that the puppy was going to make a break for it, or something. Instead, he broke from the shelter of the trees, unexpectedly, and found himself on a little unmarked road that came off of the main dirt and gravel road that led from the highway to the Avenger facility.

Peter was surprised to see a white van parked mostly on the road, since there wasn't an actual shoulder. He was warned – both by his own spider senses, and by Jack, who turned immediately – in time to be turned in the right direction when he was suddenly joined by three people coming out of the trees. He saw immediately that his presence startled them, even more than they had surprised him.

The he realized that one of them was umbrella guy – whose name he couldn't really remember. The man smiled, suddenly, still looking surprised.

"Peter! What are you doing out here?"

The spider senses were going crazy, screaming at him, but Peter couldn't really figure out why. Umbrella guy was someone he _knew_ , after all. Maybe because he knew from the conversation that he'd had with Tony that the man wasn't really _supposed_ to be there, and could get himself into a lot of trouble.

"Walking Jack."

"Is that _your_ dog?" one of the other two men asked, looking down at the chocolate lab puppy.

"No." he looked over at Umbrella Guy. "Are you _supposed_ to be out here? Tony told me that the press aren't allowed to be too close. I don't want you to get-"

"It's okay," he assured him. "We have a pass. Where's Stark?"

"He took Pepper into the city."

He turned, then, because now there _was_ a danger. He didn't know what it was, but those senses were screaming practically aloud, now, and they were telling him to watch out. The danger was everywhere, but suddenly focused on the two men with Umbrella Guy.

Crazily, one man was suddenly lunging at him, trying to grab him. Peter dodged him, easily, feeling the attack coming even before the man moved. His hand slapped the man away, allowing the momentum of the grab to force the guy to fall forward, which knocked the leash from his hand. He was turning to move the other one away, planning on knocking them all down to allow himself and Jack a chance to run – he still didn't understand the danger, but knew that he could getaway and sort it out from a distance, like Natasha had taught him.

She didn't teach him how to escape a tranquilizer dart, though, but he felt that coming, too, and tried to dodge it, only to be hit with one from the other side. Shocked, Peter felt the sting and looked down to see a small feathered group of fletching sticking into his chest. Shocked, he shot his gaze to Umbrella Guy, who was holding some kind of gun in his hand.

Peter raised his wrist, his mind still screaming that he was in trouble but his body unwilling all of the sudden to do more than stand there. He put his hand up to activate his communication device when someone grabbed him from behind and reached for that hand, jerking it painfully to the side. He felt them pulling on his wrist and the watch and the boy heard Umbrella Guy tell them to put him in the van. The last thing he saw before everything went dark was his watch falling to the gravel road, followed almost immediately by his cell phone.

A moment later, the van was gone in a shower of tiny rocks and dirt, and the only thing left was a very confused chocolate lab puppy, a cracked cell phone and a communications watch that never activated.


	135. Chapter 135

"Natasha?"

Romanoff stopped, turning to see Steve coming up behind her in the corridor.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Peter?"

Romanoff frowned at him.

"He was playing with Jack when I saw him earlier."

"Yeah, he's watching him for me, but I'm done and now I can't find him."

She pointed at her bare wrist.

"Did you call him?"

He nodded.

"He didn't answer."

"That's odd."

She was well aware of the fact that Peter loved the communication capabilities of his watch and was always looking for a reason to use it when he could find one. A chance to use the watch _and_ talk to Steve? He would have responded immediately.

"Maybe they're napping somewhere," Rogers said, shrugging. "That's all I can think of."

She raised her hand to her ear, activating her own communicator.

"Peter?"

Steve watched her while they waited for a reply, and the two were joined by Clint, who had come looking for Romanoff, hoping to annoy her for his own amusements.

"What's up, guys?" he asked, noticing their serious expressions.

"I can't find Peter. Have you seen him?"

"No. Isn't he watching Jack?"

"Yeah, but he's not answering me when I call him."

"He's not answering me, either," Natasha said.

"Jack's low-jacked, right?" Clint asked Steve, reminding them that the puppy not only had a microchip from the vet in case he were to wander off and get lost, but his collar had a tracker for the same reason.

The microchip wasn't GPS based, but the tracker in his collar _was_ , and it synced to an app on the phone that Clint had downloaded for use with Nick Furry, but could also be used for Jack's, since Steve's phone was so archaic that it didn't use apps.

"Yeah."

"Find Jack, then, and you'll find Peter."

"Or call Tony and have him have _Friday_ find him for you," Natasha said.

"And freak him out?" Steve replied. "Not likely. Where is he?"

"He's at the sanctum. He said he was going to stop in and talk to Stephen about the Mind stone after he dropped Pepper off. He's either _there_ , or he's on his way back."

"Did they figure out where the books came from?" Clint asked, pulling out his phone to bring up the app that they could use to find Jack.

"Not that I know of," Natasha said. "Tony was going to see if they were from the sanctum – although they don't look like anything I've seen there."

"You'd know," Steve agreed.

Clint held up his phone so the others could see the screen.

"Jack's tracker is active, but it's not in the compound. Looks like it's out in the woods, somewhere. Feeling up to a nature hike?"

"Yeah."

Natasha was a little concerned, now. A nap was one thing. A nap in the _woods_ was completely out of character for Peter.

"Let's go."

OOOOOOOO

They heard him long before they saw him. After walking in what was a relatively straight line since they were following the tracker and not actually on a nature walk, they covered the same amount of ground that Peter and Jack had in much less time. They weren't distracted by squirrels, either.

A constant series of high pitched yowling, yelping and short barks caught their attention and it was coming from the direction that they were going. Steve picked up the pace, immediately, well aware that he recognized the sound of his puppy in distress. He'd heard it a few times, before, after all.

They broke out of the woods and onto a small side road of the service road that led to the compound. On the far side of the road they could see a struggling little body, not at all shy about voicing his woes to the entire surrounding area.

"What in the world?" Steve said, running over to Jack.

Clint and Natasha followed, but Romanoff's sharp-eyed gaze caught something else, and she veered off, looking down at the road, instead.

"He's tangled up in this brush," Steve said, holding his puppy's squirming body still to allow himself and Clint a chance to pull the leash free of the offending undergrowth.

It didn't help that Jack was so excited to see him that the lab wouldn't hold still.

"Where's Peter?" Clint asked, looking around. There was no way the boy would have left the puppy alone and they all knew it. He was far too responsible for that.

"Guys…"

Natasha's voice was concerned and drew them both to her side, where she was kneeling on the road but looking all around her.

"What's going on, Nat?" Clint asked, putting his phone away now that he didn't need it, but frowning when his sharp gaze saw what she was looking at.

A cell phone and a very familiar looking communications watch.

Barton pulled his phone back out and hit a button. A moment later the phone in the dust started buzzing. He picked it up, and handed it to Natasha.

"It's Peter's," he confirmed.

OOOOOOOOOO

Tony was on his way back to the compound when his car alerted him that he was getting a call. He was just out of the city, having spent the morning at the sanctum talking to Stephen, who wasn't missing any psychology books but had wanted to hear about the ones that had been found with Peter that morning. He mentioned being curious about the specific subject, telling Tony that it might help determine if Peter had summoned the books with the help of the Mind stone, or if the stone had acted on its own to do the summoning on Peter's behalf, giving him the resources it thought the boy would need for what was troubling him.

Stark had invited him to come to the compound and join them for lunch, and Stephen had agreed, saying that he'd be there in a while. Tony smirked, even while driving and alone, because it was awfully easy to get the man to the Avenger facility nowadays. Certainly because of Natasha Romanoff. As always, he filed that thought to the back of his mind, well aware that he'd want to use it to get a dig in on the magician – if not Romanoff herself.

Although it was safer for him to goad Stephen than it was to annoy Natasha, and he knew it.

"Stark."

Hands free, it was simple to answer the call.

" _Tony?"_

It was Natasha.

"I was just thinking about you," he told her, smiling. "What's up?"

" _We need you back here,"_ she said, seriously. _"Now."_

"What's going on?" he asked, losing the smile, immediately.

" _We're not sure, but I need you here as soon as possible."_

"Okay. I'll be right there."

He pulled into a gas station that he was just passing, and parked the car against the building. Getting out, he activated the Ironman suit before he even had the door closed, and stepped a few paces away before rocketing himself into the air.

"Friday?"

" _I'm looking for him."_

The AI knew Stark well enough to know that Peter was the billionaire's first concern, now, and responded to the question without hesitation.

"Well?"

" _His transponder is just outside the facility."_

"Vitals?"

" _He isn't wearing it."_

"What?" Tony felt a surge of concern, knowing in his heart immediately that that was the reason for Romanoff's call. "Give me an extra boost," he ordered, already mentally changing their destination from the compound itself to the location of Peter's watch.

There was a sudden burst of incredible power, and his ETA plummeted.


	136. Chapter 136

Only minutes after Romanoff called Stark, Ironman landed on the road just far enough away to keep from hitting any of them with the suit's thrusters, and to keep from kicking up gravel on the unpaved road. The suit disengaged and Tony was there, looking around at the others, obviously concerned.

"Where is he?"

None of them asked how he had immediately known it was Peter that was the reason for the call. They all assumed correctly that Friday had informed Tony that Peter didn't have his watch on.

"We don't know," Natasha said. "He was with Jack this morning, and Steve came looking for him but we only found Jack."

Tony took the puppy from Steve, looking him over thoroughly before handing him carefully back.

"No note? _I fell down a well come and save me_ kind of thing?"

"We found these," Natasha said, handing him Peter's watch, and the cell phone – although she was wearing gloves just in case there were any fingerprints. "Jack was tangled in the bushes over there."

"No note?" Tony asked, again.

This time they knew he mean any kind of ransom note.

"No."

"We haven't had a chance to look too far, though," Steve said. "You should do a scan, just in case he _is_ around here and we're just missing him, somehow."

"Friday checked on the way in," Stark told him, nodding. He looked at the phone in his hand, and Natasha saw a desolate, concerned look in his eyes just before the Ironman suit activated again.

" _Scanning for prints,"_ the AI told him, immediately, before he even told it what he wanted.

The suit was incredibly intuitive.

"Call Stephen, Natasha, will you?" Tony asked, still in the suit and waiting for a result. "Tell him we need him. Ask him to bring the teleporting rock and the cloak."

She nodded and tapped her earbud.

Almost the same time that the Ironman suit disengaged a moment later with negative results on the phone, a portal appeared close by the edge of the road and Strange and Wong both walked out to join them. The Cloak of Levitation was attached to Strange's collar.

"What's going on?" Strange asked as they walked over to the group.

"Someone's grabbed Peter," Tony said, succinctly. "I need you to make sure it's not a magician somewhere. Please."

"Of course."

"I'll go," Wong said.

He vanished, immediately, and Strange looked at the others.

"What do we know?"

OOOOOOOOO

" _Shouldn't he be waking up by now?"_

" _It's pretty strong stuff."_

" _It's better to keep him out. That way he can't call for help."_

" _He can't call for help. We took his phone and his watch."_

" _This is Tony Stark you're talking about. He probably has the kid low-jacked. He might be on his way here, right now."_

" _Shut up, Pete."_

" _You shut up. I don't know why we had to grab him today. We were supposed to just be reconnoitering. We weren't supposed to try for him until-"_

" _I know. I panicked, alright. He was right there, and I was worried he'd tell someone and they'd tighten the security."_

" _It doesn't matter. We've got him, now. Give him another dose, I don't want him to wake up until we're done and long gone."_

" _He saw me. He_ knows _me."_

" _We'll be in Micronesia."_

" _It's_ Ironman _. He'll find me. I'm a dead man."_

 _There was a sigh, and then suddenly a muffled gunshot and the sound of something heavy falling to the floor._

" _Yeah, Pete," said a heartless voice, tinged with just a little insanity. "You_ are _."_

" _Jesus, he splattered on me."_

" _Give the kid another dose. I'm going to go make the call."_

" _Yeah."_

OOOOOOO

Strange opened a portal directly to Stark's quarters, and they converged there. Tony went immediately to the bar, but looked at Strange.

"Did you bring the rock?"

"Yes. I've already tried to have it transport me to wherever he is, but it didn't."

"Which means what?"

"I assume it doesn't know where he is."

"It found him in _London_ ,. He can't be anywhere near that far away."

"He didn't use it until he was awake," Natasha interjected. "He might be out. He'd _have_ to be out," she added. "Otherwise he'd have summoned the thing to him. He told me it's not hard for him at all – and it's never refused to come to him."

Stark turned to Rogers.

"Go to the control room, please, Steve. Have the data from all satellites that were overhead brought into the network so Friday can analyze it. See if we can figure out who took him - and how."

"Can the cloak find Peter like it did last time?"

He asked Stephen, but he was looking at the cloak, which slapped Strange's shoulder once.

"Yes."

By now Strange and the cloak were getting good at communicating this way. The only way that they could.

"Does it know where he is?"

Two hits this time.

"Not yet?"

A single hit.

"Are you trying to find him?" Strange asked it.

Another single slap to the shoulder.

"So we tag it like last time and follow it in and find Peter."

"Do you still have-"

Tony's phone rang, interrupting the doctor. Stark looked at it and frowned, not recognizing the number and immediately recognizing that a scrambler was being used on the incoming call.

"Friday, route the call through your programs and trace it."

It rang again and Stark waited for the chime that told him Friday had finished.

"Stark."

The voice was distorted, but clear and easy to understand.

 _"We have something that belongs to you, Stark. Do what you're told or I'll mail him back to you in pieces."_

Tony didn't bother asking who they were or where Peter was. He also didn't ask if the boy was unharmed. His expression went cold at the threat – almost as cold as Romanoff's – and he met her gaze.

"What do you want?"

 _"Money."_

"Give me an account number," Stark replied. "You'll have it in ten minutes."

 _"And you'll have us tagged in eleven,"_ the voice countered. _"Nice try. We're going to do this the old fashioned way. You're going to gather 2 million dollars – untraceable bills, all used – and you're going to have it delivered to the place of my choosing, at the time of my choosing and if I so much as see a glint of metal in the sky or a sign of the Ironman, I'll start cutting off pieces."_

"Seriously? _Two million_? Are-"

 _"I'm not greedy,"_ the voice interrupted. _"Gather the money. I'll be in touch."_

The line went dead and Strange frowned.

"Was it wise of you to argue with him about how much he wanted?"

Tony nodded.

"I needed to give Friday as much time to trace the call as I could. They were scrambling it when it came in, and probably using blocking programs and other misroutes."

" _They're good,"_ Friday's voice spoke up. _"But I'm better. This will take some time, though."_

"Fine. Keep me apprised." He turned to Strange. "We know it's not a magician, then."

"No. Not a magician."

"Good."

With magic off the table, the odds swung into their favor.

"You should call Pepper," Natasha reminded him. "She needs to know what's going on."

He nodded his agreement, and turned to Strange. "You'll bring her here?"

"Yes. Do you want me to go get her, now?"

"Please." Strange nodded, and Tony held a hand to stop him before he vanished. "She doesn't need to know what he said about hurting Peter. Just the part about the money, okay?"

"Of course."

The doctor vanished, and Stark sighed, and took a healthy swallow of the drink he'd set on the bar.

"We'll get him back, Tony," Romanoff assured him.

"I know."

They had to.


	137. Chapter 137

"We've got a hit on some of the satellite imaging," Steve said, walking into Tony's quarters much later in the day and joining the group, brandishing a stack of printouts.

Pepper was on the sofa. Her eyes were red from stress, worry and the occasional tear that she couldn't hold back. Tony was beside her. He didn't do sitting still very well, and would normally have been pacing like a caged lion, waiting for a destination so he could take action to get their cub back, but she needed him beside her just then and he recognized that.

And accepted it as part of the new him.

Strange paced enough for the both of them, really, and he was constantly holding that rock, closing his eyes and concentrating, as if hoping to catch Peter the moment he was lucid enough to be able to call for help. The Cloak of Levitation was draped over his shoulder instead of attached to his collar, and had been 'tagged' with a GPS chip in case it figured out where Peter was, as well, and vanished on them.

Wong and Natasha sat at the bar, watching and waiting. Like Tony, and even more; like a loaded weapon, they just needed a direction to be pointed.

It would come. They knew it would. It was just a matter of time.

Clint had vanished, but they knew he was at the jet, making sure it was ready at a moment's notice once word came down. Ironman could fly himself, Strange and Wong could both portal or disappear, but the others were going to need a ride when it came time to get Peter back, and Clint was making sure that transportation was there.

Even Wanda Maximoff had stopped in, but all she had been able to tell them was that Peter was definitely alive and that she couldn't locate him, because he wasn't able to concentrate enough – wherever he was – for her to catch any kind of reference from his mind - or to catch the minds of the people holding him. As near as she could tell, he was confused and in pain, and both were keeping her from being able to help him. She assured them that as soon as she had a location she would have Vision send it to Tony so he could act on it.

Everyone looked at Steve when he entered, and he set the printouts on the coffee table in front of the sofa Pepper and Tony were seated at.

"We've got a white van coming in early this morning and turning onto the service road – both the one that leads here, but then going into the back area and onto the smaller road. _Here_."

Natasha looked over his shoulder.

"That's where we found Peter's phone."

"Yeah. We don't have an angle to get a plate or anything, and it's not marked, but we have it leaving at just before 11:30 and heading north."

"Then they probably aren't keeping him in the city…" Natasha said.

"No. Unless they did some backtracking – which I suppose is possible."

Tony leaned forward, not taking his arm from around Pepper, where it had been since Stephen had brought her back to the compound.

"Do we have auxiliary images from other satellites to confirm it?"

"We're working on it. The control guys are working on hacking the cable satellites to get _their_ feeds as well – any of them that were in the right position to catch anything this morning."

"The _cable_ satellites?" Strange repeated.

"I _told_ you they weren't just sending HBO," Wong told him, darkly.

"Friday?"

The AI was still tracking the initial call – which had terminated into dead ends countless times so far, but Friday would simply backtrack until there was a lead and start again, fresh. It was taking time, but until they heard from the kidnappers, again, there wasn't anything else for the AI to do. Until now.

" _I'm on it."_

One of the displays in the main room lowered from the ceiling and turned on. Images began flashing, swiftly and randomly. It was clear that Friday was intending for the humans to keep up with the progress – except Tony, who was used to having so much data coming at him all at once when he was interacting with the AI in his Ironman suit.

"Is it better that they're not in the city?" Pepper asked, uncertain.

She thought that the more police that were around, the better. Then they could have them right there when they figured out where Peter was being held.

"Less chance of collateral damages," Natasha explained. "If we send in a strike team to get Peter in the middle of Manhattan, a lot of innocent bystanders might get caught in the crossfire. We go into some deserted farmhouse, no one dies but them."

Pepper nodded her understanding, but felt a little shiver go up her spine at just how cold and calculating Romanoff's explanation was. It was obvious that Natasha truly didn't care if she killed the men who were responsible for taking Peter – as long as she got him back.

It was both a little scary and a lot comforting.

Wong looked over at Strange.

"Your girlfriend is terrifying. You know that, right?"

OOOOOOOO

"He's coming around…"

" _Again_? Jesus. Give him another dose."

"We're going to kill him if we keep that up. It's not meant for people in the first place, and the kid weighs next to nothing as it is."

"Why are you acting like that? Who gives a shit? He's two million bucks. When we have the money I don't care what happens to him."

"Tony Stark isn't going to-"

"Just shut up and give him another dose. I want him knocked out. Give him a double dose for all I care."

Peter couldn't concentrate. He couldn't do anything more than feel the constant ache in his head and the nausea that wracked his body. His spider senses were off the charts, warning him that he needed to get away, but he couldn't gather a coherent enough thought to figure out what he needed to get away from, or why he needed to do it. Much less where to go.

The drugs they were giving him were potent, but his metabolism was burning through them, absorbing them into his system at an intoxicating and dangerous rate.

There was some pain elsewhere, too, but not unbearable, really. It was his head and his stomach that were the worst, and most of the time he wasn't even aware of what was going on around him. He thought he heard men arguing. Was pretty sure that he heard a firecracker going off and wondered if it were the 4th of July and he had somehow missed it. His mouth was dry and his entire body felt wrong. Shaky.

A light came on and he was aware suddenly that the room they had him in must be very dark, indeed, because now he was almost blinded by the intense brilliance of the overhead bulb – which seemed to have a heartbeat all of its own.

He had trouble focusing, but he heard, more than _saw_ , a man coming over to the bed that he was sprawled on. One wrist was handcuffed to the metal headboard, the sharp edge of the metal cutting into his wrist from the awkward angle, forcing his arm to stay above his head and a small trickle of blood to make its way down his forearm. It was one of the many smaller pains that he was only minutely aware of.

He closed his eyes, trying to take deep breaths to clear his head, feeling the tingle when the man approached, knowing he was in danger and trying to twist away. The pain from his already abused wrist was a shock, allowing his mind to focus – if only for a brief moment. He saw many things all at once. An image of Wanda Maximoff. The man who was holding a hypodermic needle against his arm. The walls of the tiny room he was being held in.

More importantly, he knew he needed to get away, and suddenly knew where he needed to be.

He opened his eyes and jerked his hand, snapping the handcuff easily, although the pain was even worse once he did. He didn't mind. He relished the pain. It helped him clear his head. He needed to escape. Suddenly his fist closed over something small and round.

 _Where?_

The cheerful voice in his head only made the agony worse, but he had the answer in mind before the darkness closed around him once more and he closed his eyes.


	138. Chapter 138

After an agonizing day of forced inactivity caused by waiting, suddenly a million things seemed to happen all at once.

The first was an announcement from Friday.

" _I have the location of the call signal origin_." And then immediately after. _"Receiving a message from Vision – Wanda is giving coordinates for Peter's location. They match the cell phone origins I have."_

At the same time, the Cloak of Levitation launched itself from Strange's shoulder and into the air to hover, suddenly appearing alert. There was a pause, though, as if it needed a minute to figure out where it was going to go, next – which it _did_.

Stark was already on his feet.

"How far away, Friday?"

A small warehouse looking building appeared on the display the AI had been using. Clearly a satellite photo, it was in a clearing several miles off the main highway and surrounded on all sides by trees.

" _35 miles, due north."_

Romanoff and Steve were already running out the door, and Tony activated his suit and headed for the exit.

"Feed the coordinates to the Quinjet."

Strange started to move, intending to go with them, but he suddenly looked down at his hand in shock. He opened his palm, and Pepper and Wong both frowned.

"What is it?" Pepper asked, worried that something terrible was happening.

"The stone's gone."

He had planned on summoning himself to where Peter was, but the boy must have been able to call the teleporting stone to himself, instead.

"Do you think Peter used it?" Wong asked.

"Yes." Strange had no doubt. "The question is, though; where _is_ he?"

The cloak suddenly slapped him – hard enough to hurt, and definitely hard enough to get his attention – and then the relic shot out of the room.

Wong, Strange and Pepper all ran to follow it.

OOOOOOO

"He's _gone_!"

"What? Where is he?!"

"I _don't_ know. I was giving him the dose and the next thing I know he breaks the handcuff and vanishes into midair…"

"Sonofabitch!" He got out of the chair and ran to the holding room – more bedroom, since there was a bed, but cell for certain. "You'd better not be lying."

"It's not something I could make up. I swear."

"Shit! Did he run away?"

They both grabbed up the guns that had been sitting on the table with the remains of their dinner and ran for the nearest – and only – exit.

"He _vanished_!"

"We need to find him." The man waved his companion toward the right. "Go that way. Find him or keep running, because if you don't bring him back, I'll kill you myself."

OOOOO

Thirty-five miles was nothing. While they'd been waiting, night had fallen, but the darkness was nothing, too. The Ironman suit was already tracking ahead, looking for their target, Tony watching Friday's readouts in his HUD and keeping track of the Quinjet in his peripherals – so to speak.

"Friday?"

" _Watching for the van, no sign of Peter."_

Of course, without the watch, they'd have to get closer in order to separate one person from another, but the AI knew Peter well, and would have no trouble finding him once they were closer.

" _We can't come flying in, guns blazing, Tony,"_ came Steve's voice over his communications link. " _They might kill him if we corner them."_

"I know. Land to the south."

The jet was already mirrored, so if anyone was looking up at the night sky they wouldn't see anything, and they wouldn't hear very much to give the craft away. The only thing that gave it away when it landed was the change in air pressure, and that couldn't be helped. Tony stayed back until they landed, aware that his own rockets that propelled him and allowed him flight would make a target of him – and them.

" _Two people in the trees, boss_ ," Friday told him, throwing the visual at him. _"They're armed and running erratically."_

Which meant that they probably weren't running away. _Chasing_ someone, maybe? Friday hadn't found Peter, yet. The AI didn't need it, but there was a full moon and a cloudless sky, so it wasn't as dark as it might have seemed to be, and Tony hoped that Peter had enough sense to find a spot to hide and lay low until they dealt with things.

"You guys heard that?" he asked, well aware that Friday would have linked in with the communications of the others to avoid repeating information.

" _We did,"_ came Steve's voice. _"We have them. You get the guy in the north, Nat's going to get the one in the south. Clint and I will check the warehouse and get Peter."_

None of _them_ had seen Peter on their scanners, yet, either, but the warehouse was a good option for finding the boy. Tony nodded his agreement even though none of them could see it.

"Roger."

OOOOOOOO

Natasha Romanoff was not a woodsman, as she and Peter had proven in their one disastrous encounter with a skunk while camping. She was a hunter, though, and could almost certainly be classified properly as a predator when she was working. Wearing the dark flight suit, she blended into the night easily, and even though she didn't have night vision goggles, she didn't need them after the first moments of moving in the darkness.

Her eyes adjusted to the dark, and her ears were constantly listening for the telltale noise that would help her find the man she was looking for. He made it almost too easy.

"Kid! Come out! We're not going to hurt you!"

The fool was actually yelling into the night. Not only was it ridiculous to think that Peter would fall for something so unbelievable – and it was a relief to her when she heard that they were looking for him, because it meant that he'd managed to get himself free – but he was giving Romanoff his position.

She stalked him silently, listening to his almost frantic shouting, waiting until she was in just the right position before making her own move, stepping out from behind a tree and almost directly into his path.

"Looking for someone?" she asked.

Startled, his gun came up instantly. Automatically. Natasha fired a single shot and her target went down without a noise, although his finger jerked on his trigger as he died, and he got a shot off, hitting a nearby tree. Romanoff moved forward, and leaned over, checking for vitals that she knew she wasn't going to find, and taking the gun from his lifeless hand.

"You got off easy," she told him, tucking his gun away for safekeeping.

OOOOOOOO

Tony had it almost easy when going after his man. Friday showed him where he was, and after making sure Peter wasn't anywhere in the area, Ironman simply flew over and then landed in front of the man, bringing him up short, even in the near darkness. The gun in the man's hand came up, pointing automatically at Ironman, and Tony didn't even hesitate. He brought his own hand up and a blast from the repulser threw the man back twenty feet to land in a heap on the soft forest floor.

To his own amazement, he didn't lose his weapon. As the Ironman suit stalked toward him, the man fired at him, each round bouncing harmlessly off of the armored suit and ricocheting haphazardly. He was still pulling the trigger when Ironman came and stood over him – although now the gun was out of ammunition and the clicking was harmless.

"Fuck you, Stark!"

"Language…"

The repulse fired again, and so close that the only thing that kept the man from being blasted into a mass of quivering goo was that Friday made sure to regulate the power output. He was knocked out, but still breathing when Tony reached down and grabbed a handful of shirt and rocketed into the sky, his senseless burden probably fortunate to not see the flight.

" _Guys?"_

Clint looked over at Steve and shook his head. While Stark and Natasha had been rounding up their targets, Clint and Steve had searched the small building. It didn't take long.

"He's not here, Tony."

" _Then where is he?"_


	139. Chapter 139

An instant after he vanished from the warehouse cell Peter tumbled to the floor, hitting the coffee table in his living area in his quarters in the compound. The shock of pain from the impact drove the darkness back, momentarily, and he opened his eyes in time to realize that he was in his quarters and presumably was safe. He rolled, still clutching the stone in his hand and felt a jab as the motion dislodged the syringe that was still stuck in his arm.

Peter stared at it, and wondered what it meant. It was so hard to focus on anything. His mind seemed to be going everywhere all at once and he was getting sick just from the myriad of sounds, sights and the images going through his head.

Maybe he wasn't safe. Maybe it was the syringe that was just making him _think_ he was safe? He couldn't concentrate and the pain wasn't helping him focus any longer. He needed to be somewhere safe.

 _Where?_

Where was he safe? An image flashed through his mind and just as he heard the door to his quarters open, he felt himself vanishing, again.

He was outside, sprawled in the grass. Sheltered between two large pieces of carved granite. His confused mind recognized the cemetery, and the gravestones, but wasn't sure he was safe _there_ , either. He had to go somewhere safe. He was too out in the open here. Too exposed.

"I need to be someplace safe," he mumbled, looking around, wildly.

 _Where?_

Another image in his mind, and again he vanished, pulled on a rollercoaster ride of his own making, unable to focus enough to get himself to safety, and the ever-willing teleportation stone drawing the images from his mind and taking him where it was told he wanted to be.

OOOOOOOO

The cloak stopped at Peter's door, trying to jimmy the handle, but Strange reached for it and swung the door open. Pepper gave a cry of relief when they saw Peter sprawled on the floor between the coffee table and the couch, but before they could do or say anything, the boy vanished from the room.

"Where did he go?" Pepper asked, confused.

Strange shook his head, looking around and going into the bedroom, to see if he'd ended up there. It was empty.

"He's not in there," he reported, coming back to the living room and looking at the cloak, which was jerking in mid-air, as if trying to figure out where it needed to go, next.

"Stephen…"

Pepper had gone to the spot Peter had vanished from, dismayed at what looked like a bloodstain on the carpet, and had noticed something among the scattered homework assignments that had taken the brunt of Peter's impact with the coffee table. She held up a syringe and handed it to the doctor when he walked over.

"They drugged him?" Wong asked.

"It makes sense," Strange said, looking at the cloak, again. "That would be why he couldn't summon the stone – and why Wanda couldn't find him. Most tranquilizers will cause confusion and even hallucinations or delusions."

"But he was _here_ ," Pepper said. "I _saw_ him."

"The stone links to the mind," Wong reminded Strange. "The mind tells the stone where to take the bearer."

"And if he's delusional, then he could be anywhere. Could go _anywhere_. We-"

They jumped when they heard a crashing sound from the bedroom. The cloak reacted first, but all of them rushed the doorway, following the artifact into the bedroom. Peter was on the floor by the dresser, a framed picture of him and May in the park broken next to him where it had fallen when he'd impacted the dresser it had been sitting on. He looked around, wildly, but obviously not seeing any of them. His expression a mixture of agony and confusion. The Cloak of Levitation wrapped itself around his neck just as the boy vanished again, taking the relic with him.

"This is a _problem_ ," Strange said.

"What do we do?" Wong asked, before Pepper could ask the same thing.

"I don't know."

" _Stephen?"_ They all heard Tony's voice coming from Strange's communication watch. " _We found the place they were keeping Peter but he isn't here. Is he there?"_

"He _was_ , but he isn't. Get back here as quickly as you can, Tony – and bring Natasha. We'll be in the lounge."

" _On our way."_

"What are you thinking?" Wong asked.

"We've got to help him get focused," Strange explained as they left Peter's quarters and headed for the lounge. "He's safer with the cloak – it won't let him fall off a building or something – and now I can find him through the GPS tracker Tony tagged it with. But the more people who can intercept him on a jump and try to get that stone out of his hand, the better. Natasha and Tony – and _you_ , Pepper – are going to be the go-to people for this. Hopefully one of you can break through the confusion. If we can get one of you near him when he lands somewhere, maybe you can talk him down."

She nodded.

OOOOOOOOO

He was running out of places to hide. Nothing seemed like the right spot. The Pontiac, his room, Natasha's room, and Tony and Pepper's quarters. They were all too exposed. He went to the tower and even the field, where his mind tried to tell him that the lounge chair might make a good hiding spot.

Peter could feel a presence in his mind, now. A crooning that was trying to sooth the panic. He was too overwhelmed, though, for it to work. The narcotics coursing through his system had met with the adrenaline that comes with fear and agony and he felt that he was once more on the precipice of insanity, and that it wouldn't take much to tip him over. His heart was racing and every time he stopped somewhere, he felt light-headed and dizzy – which just added to the anxiety.

Another jump. The latest of what had to be twenty. He paused, looking up from where he fell to the floor, too tired and shaky to stand. The sanctum library? Yeah. That was a safe spot. Didn't the word sanctum come from sanctuary or something? Or was it from secret? Or Potato? His stomach clenched, and he almost gagged at the latest wave of nausea that came over him as he tried to stand, gripping the edge of a huge table with a bloody hand.

"Peter…" he turned and saw Tony standing near at hand with Dr. Strange standing beside him, both men looking concerned.

"No."

It wasn't the first time he'd seen them. Once he'd seen Wong and Natasha, and more than once Tony and Pepper. Each time they had tried to tell him he was safe, but each time he'd panicked, certain that it was a trap. He'd escaped, and he had to stay away – until Tony could find him, or Natasha could save him. Even though all he wanted was to sleep, he didn't dare stop moving.

He had to find the safe spot.

He started to move, and saw Tony step toward him, an arm outstretched, his expression worried.

"Peter. _Stop_. You've got to stop, son."

He clutched the rock in his hand and fell back to his knees.

"I can't. I've gotta find a safe spot… I have to-"

Tony kneeled in front of him, the outstretched hand reaching out for him, taking the bloody hand in his own and bringing it up to press flat against his chin, and then his jaw and his cheek.

"You're safe, Peter," Stark whispered, watching as the boy closed his eyes, his head hanging in utter exhaustion.

He held his hand against his jaw and nodded to Strange, who stepped forward and very gently took the stone from the boy's other hand. The cloak moved, slightly, loosening its grip on Peter, but still holding him as it had been during every jump.

"We've got him," Tony reported. "Have a medic team meet us in the compound."

Strange moved the three of them into the compound, but it was one jump too many for the boy's equilibrium. His insides finally revolted and even as the medics rushed to join them, and Pepper and Natasha hurried into the room, he threw up. All over himself, Stark, Strange and the cloak.

The darkness was overpowering him, again, and this time he let go.


	140. Chapter 140

The small room technically wasn't a waiting room or a conference room. At the moment, however, it was both. Not that there were a lot of people in it at the moment, though.

Steve was still taking care of clean up at the small warehouse, with Clint backing him up. The place was teeming with police and various federal agencies, all scrambling to figure out what had happened. There were two dead, and one who hadn't come to, yet, and had been transferred a local hospital until he was stable enough to be interrogated. Evidence of all kinds was being collected, catalogued and bagged for later study, and the press had received word that something was up, because there were already news vans and teams hurrying that direction.

Natasha was in the little room. She was filling Pepper in on the events at the warehouse as they were coming in to her. She hadn't had a lot of time to see anything before joining the chase to get Peter to let go of the rock, but Steve had been reporting what they'd found in the warehouse since Peter had been returned to the compound and she knew what little they knew and had passed _that_ on to Pepper as well.

Wong was gone. He had taken the cloak back to the sanctum to be cleaned, although from what they all understood, it wasn't going to really appreciate it. Better than being covered in puke, though. Which was why _Tony_ wasn't in the little room, either. He had gone to change and get cleaned up, as well.

Strange had magically cleaned himself, and had joined the group of doctors working on taking care of Peter. Armed with the syringe that they'd found in his room, they knew what he'd been drugged with and with that knowledge could work on reversing it with a reactive preparation. The crew in the facility control room were going through the security videos to try and see where – if any – Peter had jumped and to send clean up people to take care of any damages that may have been incurred when he landed there.

The two women looked up when the door opened and Pepper smiled when Tony joined them. He was freshly showered and dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt with a sweatshirt over it, and while he looked concerned, he also looked relieved. He crossed the room, leaned over and pressed a kiss against her cheek before holding his cheek against hers for a long moment, giving her his support and taking a little in return.

"Any word?" he asked, looking at the array of finger foods and other refreshments on the small table, and taking an apple and a bottle of water.

"He's asleep," Pepper said as he sat down beside her. "As opposed to _unconscious_."

"Oh?"

"They were able to counter the sedative that the kidnappers used on him. It'll remain to be seen what – if _any_ – damage might have been done by giving it to him, since apparently it's not recommended for use on people."

"He'll be fine, Tony," Natasha assured him before he could become concerned. "Stephen said all the tests that they've done so far have come back negative. His reflexes are good, and his organ functions are all in the clear."

"Do we know how they got him?"

"He hasn't woken up, yet," Natasha said. "But Steve said they found the body of one of the reporters from the luncheon in the warehouse. The guy that Peter loaned the umbrella to. My best guess – until Peter can confirm or squash it – is that he was the lure. They used him – or he was in on it – to get close enough to drug him and grab him."

"They wouldn't have been able to grab him otherwise," Tony agreed. "Not just a couple of guys like that. Peter could have taken both of them easily."

"Yeah."

"Your guy didn't make it?" Tony asked her.

He hadn't had a lot of time to confer with Natasha between separating to stop the guys in the woods and their rush back to the compound to track Peter down.

"No. He drew on me and I put him down. Yours?"

"Yes. I have more non-lethal options in the suit than you do with the firepower you carry," he reminded her. "He wasn't very happy with me, though."

"He's a threat to Peter," she stated.

"He's the least of my worries, right now."

Before they could continue that particular conversation, the door opened again and this time it was Strange who walked in. He nodded to Tony, pleased that he was there since he could reassure Pepper better than anyone else.

"How is he, Stephen?"

"Exhausted," Strange answered. "And for a while, dangerously so."

"What do you mean?" Stark asked.

Strange took a small stack of cheese and crackers from the tray on the table before answering. He was starved.

"You remember when we first started trying out the teleportation stone? How Peter tried it, more or less accidentally, and then I used it, to see if anyone could or if it was just him?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"It drained me a little. Left me just a bit tired."

"Yeah, I remember that. You _both_ looked tired when you were done using it."

"And that was just with _one_ jump from the sanctum to his room and back. _He_ did several more than that tonight. Eight or nine, at least, and probably several more that we might never know about. Each one using a little more energy. If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't have survived – or would have been stopped by simply passing out when their limit was reached. Peter's special, though, so he had the stamina to continue jumping. When we got him to bed, we gave him an adrenaline boost, just to make sure his heart and respiration didn't suffer."

"Is he going to be alright?" Pepper asked, worried again.

"I think so. His wrist was badly cut by the handcuff, but they've cleaned it and wrapped it. As quickly as he heals, it'll be off in plenty of time to go to Montana. Other than that, there are a few minor scratches and bruises – probably from hitting things when he was entering a room on a jump."

"Thanks, Stephen. Can we see him?"

"He's not going to be awake."

"I know," Pepper said. "I just want to check on him."

The doctor nodded, and took a seat beside Natasha, reaching for more cheese.

"Don't try to wake him up, Tony. He needs to sleep right now, more than you need to have him awake."

Stark rolled his eyes, but nodded his agreement.

"I'll be good."

They left, and Natasha raised an eyebrow, looking at him.

"He's _really_ okay?" she asked. "That's not just the speech to keep the parents from worrying?"

He nodded.

"He is. And for the record, I don't _have_ a speech to keep the parents from worrying. Although now that I think of it, I probably should have."

Romanoff smiled.

"Are you staying here tonight?"

"Yes. Not that I'm really needed, but I'll stick around, just in case something comes up."

"But you don't think it will?"

"No. He's stable." Then he shrugged, and there was a bit of an amused quirk to the set of his mouth. "As stable as anyone with _Tony Stark_ for a role model can be, anyway."

She smiled again.

OOOOOOOO

They had him dressed once more in white scrubs, which again made him look washed out. Although, part of that was that even asleep they could both see lines of exhaustion on his face. He was propped almost into a sitting position and the nurse that was changing the IV told them that it was to protect the boy's breathing. Pepper moved to one side of the bed and Tony took the other, and she took his bandaged hand in both of hers.

"What do you think he'd say if we suggested homeschooling him here?" she asked Tony, only half joking.

"We can't hide him."

Although he wanted to. Especially at a time like this.

"We could have Happy bodyguard him."

"He doesn't need a bodyguard," Tony told her. "Besides, Happy is _your_ bodyguard."

"He _is_?"

"You didn't know?"

"No."

She had always assumed he was around because his particular responsibilities just happened to revolve around the tower. Now that she thought about it, it did seem that he was always around when she went anywhere during the day. Aside from when she was heading to the compound, of course.

"Oh. Well, _now_ you do."

"How do we keep him safe?"

"We'll work it out. I have a couple of thoughts rattling around in my head."

"Really?"

"Yes, Ma. Kiss him and tell him you love him, and let's leave him alone so he can sleep."

She scowled at being called 'Ma', but leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss against the boy's forehead, and whispered something Tony couldn't hear. He did the same on his side, and the two left the room.

They'd check on him in a little while, just to ease their own concerns.


	141. Chapter 141

He woke slowly, answering to an inner call that was just beyond his reach, but tantalizing enough to keep him from ignoring it. Almost too tired to open his eyes, he did so anyway, his very real need to always be aware of what was going on around him forcing him to take a look. He didn't lift his head to look around, though, and he didn't recognize the room; it was similar to others that he had been in before, but he definitely knew the woman who was watching him, looking down at him with an expression that was only his and holding his hand with her own.

"Natasha…"

His voice sounded odd, even to him, and he felt a wave of dizziness, nausea and exhaustion. He was so _tired_. She smiled, though, and simply tightened her hold on his hand, just a little.

"Hi, Baby."

"Did I sleepwalk?"

"Not this time. I'm sorry I woke you. I just wanted to check on you."

"It's okay." He didn't look around. "Where are we?"

"Home. At the compound. How do you feel?"

"Tired."

"Yeah. Stephen said you would be."

"You're okay?"

"Yes."

"Tony? Pepper?"

She nodded, touching his cheek before he could start naming everyone he knew.

"Everyone's _fine_ , Peter. Go back to sleep."

He nodded and closed his eyes, gratefully.

Romanoff watched as he fell asleep almost immediately, and then leaned over him, her hair cascading around the two of them as she kissed his cheek, holding her position for just a moment as she took as long as she needed to reassure herself that he really _was_ okay. Then she let go of his hand, tucked the teddy bear up against his side and left him to his rest.

OOOOOOOOO

Strange woke with a start when he felt her join him in his bed.

He was in his rooms at the compound, tired from the day's events and sure enough that Peter was all right that he didn't feel the need to actually hover over the boy's bedside. Staying at the facility was close enough. If he was needed, they all knew where to find him, and with his watch, they could all contact him in an instant if something happened.

She snuggled up beside him, and he automatically pulled her into his arms, although he hadn't opened his eyes, just yet.

"Are you alright?" he asked, tucking her head against his chest and running his fingers through her hair.

"Yeah. Just wanted to be held, and since you're _here_ …"

He smiled.

"Glad to be of service."

She rested her hand on his stomach, idly caressing him.

"Peter woke up when I checked on him."

"Yeah? Did he say anything?"

"Asked if he had done any sleepwalking, made sure everyone was okay, and then went back to sleep."

"I'm surprised he managed any kind of conversation at all."

"It wasn't much."

"But it was enough to reassure you that he is okay?"

"Yeah."

She closed her eyes and sighed, content for the moment and ready to sleep, as well. There was something she needed to take care of, later, but it would wait. Right now, she wanted company. He shifted just enough to get comfortable, and they were both asleep in minutes.

OOOOOOO

"I should go check on him."

"He's _fine_."

"What if he sleepwalks?"

"The doctors have him under constant monitoring," Pepper said, reasonably. "If he moves, they're going to know."

" _They_ don't know how to get him back to bed without freaking him out."

"Tony…"

"I'm just _saying_ …"

She sighed, well aware that he was obsessing, and understanding completely. She also understood that there was little she could do to draw his attention away from Peter, just then.

"Fine. Go check on him and then come right back. You have 30 minutes before I come find you – and if I have to come find you, you're not going to be happy."

He was out of their bed in an instant. Then stopped, leaned over and kissed her, quickly.

"I love you."

"30 minutes," she repeated.

"I heard you."

He left, and Pepper set the timer on her phone before closing her eyes once more.

OOOOOOO

"Has he woken?"

"Only for a moment," the nurse replied. "They're expecting him to probably sleep through today completely."

"Did they give him anything to make him?" Stark asked, pressing his hand gently against the boy's forehead.

Someone – and he had a pretty good idea _who_ – had brought a black teddy bear to Peter's bed and had tucked it up against his side, right at hand if the company was needed. Tony picked it up and smiled at it, fluffing the stuffing before tucking it back into place.

"After the cocktail of narcotics he's been put through? No. He doesn't _need_ anything to help him sleep, right now."

He picked up the chart that the doctors had made for the boy, and thumbed through it. Stark wasn't a doctor, but he knew enough to understand much of what he was looking at. He knew if he needed to, Friday could explain anything he didn't recognize. It wasn't necessary, though. He saw the results from the tests they'd run on him, and could see on the monitor keeping track of them that most of Peter's vitals were well within normal range. His blood pressure was really low, but the nurse told him it wasn't dangerously so, and he believed him.

He watched the boy sleep for a while, leaned over with his forearms resting on the bed next to Peter and his face almost pressed against the bear, but his internal clock knew time was ticking, and he had to admit that he was satisfied that there was nothing Peter needed from him, just then. He brushed his cheek against the boy's for a moment, made sure he was warmly covered and reminded the nurse to call him if anything happened.

Then he went back to his bed.

OOOOOOOO

"Twenty-nine minutes…" Pepper murmured as he joined her once more and she looked at her phone's display.

"I still have a minute? I should go back."

She smiled at that and rolled toward him so she could see his face in the faint light coming from a lamp in the other room. He looked relaxed, and beautiful, and she reached out and touched his face with her fingertips.

"Or you can stay and keep _me_ company."

"Yeah?" he smiled, too, catching her hand with his own and bringing it to his lips to kiss it, tenderly. "Can you make me a better offer than watching a sleeping teenager and a teddy bear?"

"Probably."

"You're not going in to the tower today, are you?"

Meaning, was he keeping her from sleep that she needed.

"No. I want to stay here and keep an eye on him."

He scooted just a little closer to her, pressing himself against her.

"About that _offer_ , then…"

She chuckled, huskily, and reached for him, well aware that there was probably some kind of psychological reason that she wanted him so close to her just then, but she didn't mind taking advantage of that.

And she knew Tony wouldn't, either.

OOOOOOO

The sky outside the compound was just starting to lighten with the breaking of dawn and the nurse who had just come on duty was running a check of the boy's vitals, when she almost dropped the folder as a motion at the door startled her. As she watched, Dr. Strange's magical cloak entered the room, hovering in the air on its own, and drifted toward the bed.

Well aware that if she hadn't seen the thing many times before and knew it for what it was, she certainly would have been running terrified for the hills, she instead watched as the magical relic swung around her to the other side of the bed, probably to avoid getting in her way. The thing looked a little darker than she remembered it being, and she decided that it was damp. She almost reached out to satisfy that curiosity, but decided not to.

Instead, she watched as it settled itself over the blankets covering Peter, a corner of the fabric caressing the boy's forehead and cheek for a long moment, until it stilled. Peter mumbled something in his sleep that she couldn't make out, and shifted just a bit, but a moment later, he was still, too.

The nurse shrugged, well aware that no one off the compound would ever believe what she'd just seen, made a note of the time in the chart, and left the boy to his sleep.


	142. Chapter 142

"We're okay with him sleeping?" Pepper asked, worriedly.

Strange nodded, understanding her concern. It was late, and Peter had slept all day. The medical staff had conferred – including Stephen in the conference – and had decided that it wouldn't hurt the boy to sleep himself out, and it might even be the best idea. That way there was no chance of putting any unnecessary pressure on his system by waking him.

"Yes. They're watching him, carefully."

"He hasn't _eaten_ , though," she pointed out. "I know he had breakfast yesterday, but they couldn't have fed him while _they_ had him…"

"He's fine, Pepper," Strange assured her. "When he wakes up, we'll make sure he eats a good meal before we let him go back to sleep."

She didn't look satisfied, but he could understand that, too.

They were in the lounge. Pepper, Natasha and Stephen were, anyway. Tony was in Peter's room – the medical one, not his regular quarters – and was sitting with him, even though he was asleep. All of them had spent time with him at one point or another that day, although it hadn't been planned out that way. They just wanted to spend time with him and make sure that someone he knew was at hand when he woke up.

Someone other than the _cloak_ , which was probably loving the fact that it had Peter all to itself and had had him for the entire day.

As if thinking about him had summoned him, Tony entered the lounge just then, and walked over, brushing a hand along Pepper's shoulder as he sat down next to her.

"How is he?" she asked.

"Still asleep. Clint's with him."

"Is that _wise_?" Strange asked, arching an eyebrow. "All I can envision is Peter waking up, and the two of them immediately starting to wrestle."

Stark wasn't the only one to smile at that.

"He'll give him a chance to get his bearings, first, I imagine." He looked at Natasha. "To change the subject _completely_ , did you go get your car this afternoon?"

They all knew she'd received a call letting her know the Corvette was ready to go, but she nodded, anyway.

"The shop called and said it was ready. Steve took me down to pick it up. Why do you ask?"

"I just received an interesting call from a representative from the Justice department."

"Oh?"

"Seems the surviving kidnapper had a _complication_ and didn't make it."

"What kind of complication?" asked Strange, curiously.

"Someone got into his closely secured room and strangled him."

"Huh. The DOJ should do a better job of protecting their prisoners," Natasha said, blandly.

His expression was unreadable, but he nodded.

"Yes. They _should_."

OOOOOOOO

A soft beeping in his ear was what finally woke Peter. He'd been hovering on the verge of waking for quite a while and just hadn't made that final commitment to opening his eyes. Instead, he was warm, he was comfortable and the cloak was close at hand, he knew, because there was a muted crooning – contented and soothing – in his mind.

He might have slept longer. He could ignore the beeping, and the cloak wasn't keeping him awake. But he was aware that he was really hungry, and that was going to keep him from sliding back into sleep. He opened his eyes and without needing to move at all saw that Pepper was sitting on the edge of his bed, her hand holding his while she was studying a tablet.

He squeezed her hand, lightly, rather than maybe startling her by speaking up, and she looked down at him in surprise. And smiled when she saw his eyes were open.

"Hi, Pepper."

The tablet was set aside, and while she didn't let go of his hand, her free hand went to his forehead, pushing his hair back.

"Hi, sweetheart. How do you feel?"

"Okay. Hungry."

"Good. We'll have a doctor check you out and get you something to eat, okay?"

"Dr. Strange?"

He didn't want Dr. Adams. Or _any_ woman, really. He couldn't think of any of the names of the male doctors, so Strange was his only hope.

She shrugged, but nodded.

"If you want. He's around, somewhere."

If he wasn't, she'd find him.

"Thanks."

She brushed his forehead, again.

"You'll stay awake?"

"Yes."

"I'll be right back."

OOOOOOOO

When she returned only a couple of minutes later, she wasn't alone. Not only was Strange with her, but Tony was trailing along as well. He smiled when he saw Peter was awake, and went to the other side of the bed where he could be close, but would be out of the way.

"It's good to see you awake, Peter," Strange told him, watching as Pepper joined Stark on the other side of the bed. "And hungry, I hear?"

He appreciated that, since it was annoying to try to work around worried family members.

"Yeah."

"Sit up on the edge of the bed for me, will you?"

Before doing anything – with Pepper in the room – Peter checked to make sure he was wearing pants, and then he did as he was told, waiting for the cloak to move to the side before pushing the blankets back and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He noticed the bandage on his wrist and hand, and twisted it a little to see how much it hurt. It was painful, but not so bad that he couldn't move it.

"Dizzy?" Strange asked.

"No."

"How does the wrist feel?"

"A little sore."

Strange ran him through a barrage of various tests, checking everything from his eyes and ears, his temperature and heart, lungs and then helped him off the bed and watched him intently while he had Peter walk across the room and back.

"Any weakness?"

"No. Not really."

"Do you remember what happened?" Tony asked as Peter got back up onto the edge of the bed.

"I was walking Jack and saw a van. We went to look at it, and Umbrella Guy was there. He wasn't doing anything – we talked about how they aren't supposed to be taking pictures, remember?"

"Yeah."

"I said he wasn't supposed to be there, and he said he had a _pass_. Then his friends tried to grab me. I got one down, but I think they shot me with a dart gun, because it gets really confusing after that."

"What were those spider senses of yours doing?" Strange asked.

"They were telling me something was going to happen, but I thought that it was about _him_ because he was going to get in trouble. By the time I figured out _he_ was part of the problem, it was too late."

"What else do you remember?" Tony asked.

"Being handcuffed…" he looked down at the bandaged hand. "I broke it, I think, and then being chased."

"By the men that captured you?" Pepper asked, unable to stop herself.

He shook his head.

"By you guys. I thought you were trying to catch me, I think – and I'm not sure why I thought that was a _bad_ thing. I was just trying to find someplace safe…"

"It's okay, Peter," Stark assured him. "You weren't at you're best. They put a lot of drugs into your system."

"How is he, Stephen?" Pepper asked.

"All things considered? He's fine. Unless something happens, he can probably be out of here tomorrow morning."

"I feel okay," Peter said. "I could probably leave, now."

"Let's not rush it," Strange told him. "We'll get you fed, and then let you sleep. Tomorrow is soon enough."

Peter didn't argue, even though he wanted to. He was pretty sure it wouldn't do him any good – not with all three of them looking at him like he might break at any minute.

"Okay."

"How hungry are you?"

"Really hungry."

"Preference?"

"Tacos?"

Stark frowned.

"Are you sure your stomach can handle that?"

He'd already been thrown up on once. He wasn't looking forward to a repeat of the experience.

"Yeah."

A tray appeared at the end of the bed. On it was a plate with a stack of taco shells, meat, lettuce and all the fixings for several tacos.

"Back in bed, and eat," Strange ordered him, patting his shoulder. "Then get some sleep. I'll be back to check on you in the morning."

"Thanks, Stephen," Pepper said, before Tony could.

"You're welcome."

The cloak caressed Peter's cheek, briefly, and then transferred to Strange's collar and the two vanished. Peter got back into the bed, properly, and Tony and Pepper both took spots on the edge of the bed.

"What happened to the guys that grabbed me?" Peter asked, as Tony picked up the tray and put it over his lap.

"We'll talk about that later, okay?" Stark told him. "Eat."

He didn't argue. He was way too hungry to do anything but start putting together tacos.


	143. Chapter 143

They stayed with him that night. He tried to tell them that they didn't _need_ to, but they ignored him, telling him that they weren't staying there for _him,_ but because they wanted his company and had missed having him around. The bed in the medical room was larger than a regular hospital bed, luckily, because the two of them flanked him when he was done eating, and kept him company.

Stark put a movie on the screen that dominated the far wall, and Pepper lounged next to Peter on one side, the rail on the bed up to give her something to keep from falling off the edge, and Tony was on the _other_ side, in a similar position. They both had a hand on Peter's blanket covered stomach, and those hands were holding onto each other.

He double-checked to make sure that Jack was alright, and they told him that Natasha's car was fixed and she had brought it back to the compound, but that was all that they needed to tell him to catch him up with anything new that had happened while he'd been gone, and then asleep.

Then they fell silent to watch the movie, and hopefully allow it to put Peter back to sleep.

 _He_ didn't fall asleep, but both of them were before the credits rolled, worn out from their long vigil and the stress of his abduction. Peter turned the TV off with the remote he carefully took from the spot next to Tony's hand and then he lay in the near darkness of the room, almost wallowing in the feeling of having someone on either side of him, holding him – even though they were really holding each other and he was just caught in the crossfire.

He didn't really _need_ the support – he felt okay, both physically and psychologically – but it still felt good, and he supposed it wasn't something that they would do all the time. And not something that he wanted to get kidnapped again, to have happen, again.

Eventually, he did fall asleep once more, his body catching up on some much needed rest.

He woke them in the early hours of the new morning. A dream – or more likely, a _nightmare_ – had a grip on him and he was mumbling something that they couldn't understand and had buried his face against Pepper's shoulder.

She put her arms around him, silently, and Tony had reacted automatically, still mostly asleep, by draping his arm over him as well. The touch was all it took, because he fell silent in moments, and didn't stir again until much later.

OOOOOOOOOO

It was Natasha who was sitting with Peter when he woke. She was sitting cross-legged on the edge of his bed, tucked right up against his side, and playing a hand-held video game that he recognized as his. He shifted, trying to get a better view of what game she was playing, and she turned at the motion and smiled.

"Hi, Baby."

He smiled, wondering why it didn't raise his hackles to be called that, when he was practically a _man_. Well… maybe not _practically_ a man, but a lot closer to being a man than to being a baby. He decided it was definitely the person calling him it, and knew that if she wanted to call him baby, she'd be able to do it even when he was fifty.

"Hey. What are you playing?"

"I'll give you a hint," she told him. "I'm driving a turtle shell."

He shook his head.

"I'll make a gamer out of you, yet."

She turned the game off and set it aside, looking at him, carefully.

"Maybe. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine. Dr. Strange checked me out last night and said I'm okay."

"Tony told me."

"Where are they?"

"He and Pepper went to get some lunch. I told them I'd stay with you until you woke up."

"Lunch?" he started to look at his watch, and realized he didn't have it on.

She nodded.

"It's almost two. You've been sleeping pretty soundly."

"Tired, I guess."

Romanoff reached out and brushed his hair back from his forehead.

"What did I tell you about trusting people?" she said, softly.

He looked down, well aware that he hadn't made a very good showing of himself.

"Not to."

"To be _careful_ ," she corrected him, sliding her hand under his chin to force his head up. "You choses wrong, this time. Yeah?"

"Yeah."

She didn't sound disappointed, but he felt stupid and naïve. He tried to pull his head away from her, ashamed.

"Peter…" her gaze captured his, and he couldn't look away. "It's okay, Baby."

"No. I was dumb. My head was screaming something was going on, and I ignored it, because I was completely fooled by him. I deserved to get grabbed."

"No." she shook her head. "You want to see the best in people. There's nothing dumb about that. And you definitely didn't deserve what happened."

"How did you guys find me?"

"The right kind of tech. At least, that's how we found the guys that grabbed you. You got away from them before we could come rescue you. Good job."

"But then you had to chase me down, right?"

"That wasn't your fault. Stephen explained to me what the drugs they'd tried to knock you out with were doing to your mind. I'm impressed that you were able to pull it together enough to make the escape in the first place."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She brushed her fingertips along his cheek before letting him go. "But next time, listen to your gut, okay? It's almost always going to be right."

He nodded, and she pulled him into a hug, relieved to have him back, and in one piece. It was a hard way to learn a lesson, but it was an important one, and she had a feeling it was well and truly learned, now.

"I'm sorry," he told her.

"It's okay."

He leaned against her for a long, quiet moment.

"What happened to them?"

"They didn't make it."

He pulled back.

"They're _dead_?"

She nodded.

"It looks like his buddies killed your reporter, probably not long after they grabbed you, from what the forensic specialists and coroner told Steve."

"And those two?"

"They made a bad choice and paid for it." Romanoff told him, simply, shrugging it off. Then she changed the subject, unwilling to allow him to dwell on the kidnappers' fate. _She_ certainly wasn't. "Are you hungry? You missed breakfast."

"Yeah. Can I get up?"

"Are you feeling up to it?"

"I'm fine," he repeated.

"What did Stephen say?"

"That if nothing happened last night, I could get out of bed today."

"If _he_ says you can, then yes. I know Tony and Pepper are in the lounge. We could surprise them."

"Okay."

She got off his bed.

"I'll tell Stephen you're awake, and go get you something to wear while he checks you out."

"Thanks, Natasha."

She left the room and a minute later, Strange walked in, the cloak instantly disengaging from the doctor's collar and rushing over to Peter, although it didn't land on him, as if it were aware that Strange would want to examine him, or at least run some tests. Since it wasn't with him a minute ago, Peter assumed correctly that Natasha had called him to the compound from the sanctum. Which was a bit different than getting him to come from the next room – and Peter knew it.

"Thanks, Dr. Strange."

The man smiled when he realized what Peter meant, and nodded.

"You're welcome. Feeling alright?"

"Yes."

He was run through an almost similar array of tests as he had been the night before, and must have passed, because Strange didn't seem concerned.

"I think you're ready to be out of bed. Do you agree?"

"Yes. Thanks."

"Natasha went to get you clothes."

"Yeah."

He didn't want to run around the compound in scrubs - although he did wonder what Strange would look like in them. He already looked the part of a doctor, would he look more impressive dressed as one? Peter didn't ask, but it didn't stop him from wondering.

Strange sat on the edge of the bed, next to Peter, who was also on just the edge of it.

"The stone could have _killed_ you, bouncing you around like that," he said, seriously. "You know how much a jump can drain a person."

"It didn't do anything," Peter reminded him. "It was just listening to me, trying to get me where I thought I needed to be."

"It's still potentially dangerous."

"I know. I'm sorry I called it."

"I'm not, Peter," Strange told him, surprising him. "It's not a bad thing that you have a safety net like the teleportation stone in case something happens and you're in a situation that you can't handle on your own – although I think the more experience you gain, and the more powerful you become as you get older, those situations will be fewer and fewer."

He nodded, feeling pleased at the praise, although he knew he wasn't close to being there, yet.

"I'm still new at it," he admitted. "I'll get there, though."

Strange reached into his pocket, and held his hand out.

"Here."

Peter looked at his hand – and then at him – in surprise. He was holding the teleportation stone.

"What?"

"I think you should be the caretaker for the stone. Wong agrees. We'll call it an early birthday present from the two of us, if you like."

"Really?"

"Its connection with you is a natural one. You know what it can do – and how dangerous it can _be_ , so we trust you're not going to use it frivolously – only when it's necessary. I think it would give Tony and Pepper a little peace of mind to know that if something happens like this again, you can get yourself away before the dart gun becomes a factor."

"Wow. No. Yeah. I wouldn't use it just to mess around."

"I'm not, technically, _giving_ it to you," he told the boy as he handed it over. "It's ancient. It's been here long before you and I, and it'll be here long after we're gone. But you're responsible for it, now, and for making sure it's used wisely."

"I will."

Strange could see in his expression that Peter understood the seriousness of the 'gift' that he'd just been given, but he knew that the boy was so serious and responsible by nature, it was a good match.

"I don't think that it would be a misuse of its capabilities to use it to take yourself back and forth to be Spiderman – as long as you did it within parameters set up between yourself and Tony," he added.

Peter's expression told him that he hadn't even thought of that use, and he smiled, feeling a relief. Now he could live at the compound and still be Spiderman. A lot easier than having Pepper and Tony trying to work their schedules around one that was always erratic at best.

Impulsively, Peter hugged Strange, who smiled and held him for a long moment.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Natasha chose that moment to return, walking into the room carrying a small stack of clothing. She smiled when the two hastily broke their embrace at her entrance, and walked over.

"If I'd have known there would be _hugging_ involved in the examination, I would have sent Stephen to get your clothes, and done the tests on you, myself."

Both of them smiled at that.


	144. Chapter 144

Tony and Pepper were just finishing up their lunch when Strange walked into the lounge. As they looked over, Natasha and Peter walked in behind him. The boy was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, looked a little pale and wan, but was definitely on his feet to stay if Strange had allowed him out of bed and into street clothes.

They walked over to the table, and Peter hugged Pepper from behind, allowing her to reach up and pull his cheek against her own for just a moment.

"How do you feel?" Tony asked as Natasha and Stephen took the empty chairs at the table.

"I'm good."

"How is your wrist?" Pepper asked, catching the hand and looking at the bandage with concern.

"I can hardly feel it."

"The bandage must be too tight, then," Tony said. "We'll have to talk to the medical staff."

Strange rolled his eyes at Tony's wink, but they both smiled.

"Get something to eat, Peter," Pepper told him. "Then come keep us company."

The boy nodded, and picked up their empty plates to clear the table for them, and all four of the adults watched as he walked over to the bar, deposited the dishes and then accepted a hug from the bartender, who immediately ushered him into the kitchen and out of sight.

"He's okay?" Stark asked Stephen.

"He's fine."

"You gave him the rock?"

"Yes."

"I'm still not so sure how smart it is to give him that thing," Pepper said. "It certainly has caused some problems."

"An instant escape route?" Stark said. "It's _worth_ all the problems. Besides, Peter's smart enough to know when to use it and when not to use it. And responsible enough to decide the difference."

"What if he sleepwalks with it?"

"He has before," Strange pointed out. "We can't stop him from summoning it. We'll just deal with it like we have been."

She wasn't a hundred percent convinced, but she had to admit that she did approve of him being able to get away from any danger that might present itself. Before she could say anything else, Peter returned, carrying a plate stacked with several slices of pizza in one hand and a soda in the other. He set his plate and drink on the table beside theirs and then pulled it close, so he could save them their space to play cards – or whatever they may want to do – and he could still sit close to Tony.

"Do you feel up to going to your appointment with Dr. Bird tomorrow?" Tony asked him as a deck of Pinochle cards and a score pad suddenly appeared in Strange's hand. "We can cancel it if you're not feeling well."

"No. I'm okay," Peter assured him.

He realized that he had a ton of homework that he wasn't even close to getting done. If Ned came for the weekend, he was only going to be bringing more.

"You look worried all of the sudden," Pepper said, noticing immediately. "Because of the doctor?"

"Because of the mountain of homework I haven't touched," he said. "I'm okay. Really."

"Eat your lunch," Tony suggested. "Then go get some of it, and bring it back here and work on it and keep us company at the same time."

"Okay."

He had no intention of playing cards with them, but he did like the idea of being around them – at least for the afternoon. He didn't need to constantly be with them to know he was cared about, but it _was_ nice to be wanted.

They started their card game – men versus women – and he finished his pizza, took the plate back to the bar and headed for his quarters.

"Does he know what you did?" Natasha asked.

"No way he _could_ ," Tony replied with an anticipatory smile. "He's been asleep the last two days."

"To be a fly on the wall…" Strange said.

OOOOOOO

Peter opened the door to his quarters, slightly distracted by the cloak rubbing his ears. He noticed immediately that there was a new coffee table in his living area and assumed that the original one had been broken in one of his confused jumps. He knew he'd ended up in his rooms at least 3 times. Which told him that they were a safe zone for him, he supposed.

" _Hello, Peter."_

He about jumped out of his skin at the soft, feminine voice that seemed to be all around him. No one was _there_ – his spider senses would have alerted him, immediately. Then he realized that he recognized the voice.

"Karen?"

" _Yes."_

He looked around.

"How… I mean, what?" He realized that he wasn't making much sense. "What's going on? How are you _not_ in my suit?"

" _I am still in your suit. However, now I am also integrated into your living quarters, as well."_

"Really? Like Friday is for Tony?"

" _Yes."_

He felt a thrill of excitement and a sense of being just that much more like him, but then a little confusion.

"When did that happen?"

" _I came online this morning."_

"What are you supposed to do? Keep an eye on me?"

As exciting as it was to be linked into the network even more tightly now that he had direct access to his AI at all times, he wasn't sure if he wanted someone looking over his shoulder all the time - especially in his room.

" _Provide you with instant connection to the information available to me. Connect you whenever necessary to Tony Stark through my own connection with Friday."_

"There aren't any _cameras_ in here, are there?" Peter asked, looking around, thinking that that would make things uncomfortable more than anything.

" _Voice only. I have a motion sensor, though, just in case you sleepwalk. One of my responsibilities will to contact Friday if I feel you're on the move. So if you want to go for a midnight stroll, just say so, and I'll know you're not sleepwalking."_

"Huh." That made a lot of sense. "Okay."

He would have stayed and chatted longer, but he had homework to get done. He gathered his book and a stack of math sheets, told Karen goodbye and went back to the lounge.

OOOOOOO

They all looked over when Peter entered the lounge, this time carrying a handful of papers with a book tucked into his back pocket. He walked over to the bar and spoke with the bartender for a moment; she grinned and loaned him a pen and handed him a bottle of soda. Only then did the boy reclaim his seat at the table beside theirs.

"Well?" Tony asked.

Peter smiled.

"Thanks. I _think_."

"You _think_?"

"I told you so," Natasha said, amused.

Stark scowled.

"It's only a good thing."

"It's a lot like having a babysitter," Romanoff pointed out.

"Not a _babysitter_ ," Tony said – to _Peter_ , not to Natasha. "An _assistant_. Someone to help with anything you need. Answer any questions. Where's Pepper? At the pool. Where's Natasha? In the lounge. Where's Tony? W-"

"Watching Peter sneak beers out of his fridge," Natasha said, interrupting, still amused.

"There aren't any _cameras_ , Peter," Tony told him. "Don't listen to her. Karen is strictly for your convenience, and meant to _help_. She isn't programmed to tattle on you."

Peter nodded.

"That's what she said, too, more or less."

"And you believe me, right?"

"Yeah. It's a great surprise, really."

"We'll give it a test period," Pepper told him. "If you feel it's too intrusive to have a live in AI, tell us, and we'll shut it down. Okay?"

"Okay."

"If you want to _hide_ , you can always come to the sanctum," Strange reminded him.

"You're not helping, Stephen."

Strange smirked.

Peter smiled, and turned his attention to his homework, allowing them to go back to their card game.


	145. Chapter 145

By dinner time the guys had lost two Pinochle games to one win against the women, there was a stack of neatly finished homework assignments on the table, and Peter had retired to the closest couch, where he was sprawled while reading his book. The cloak was mumbling in his mind, not at all impressed with him reading, since it made his mind more active than if he were just sleeping or relaxing and was alternating between grumbling and trying to croon lullabies into his head to make him fall asleep.

Steve and Clint entered the room looking for the others, and Strange saw Barton's eyes light up when he saw the boy on the couch. Sure enough, a moment later Hawkeye was flopping himself down onto Peter, squirming to get himself into position on the sofa to push the boy off. The book went flying as Peter struggled against the heavier man, trying to get the leverage he needed to wrestle him out of position without using his superior strength to do it.

Steve smiled at the wrestling match, but walked over to the table rather than joining in.

"How's he doing?" he asked.

Tony looked over just in time to see Peter fall onto the floor with a thud and Barton follow, wrapping his arms around the boy and the cloak and trying to pin him.

"He's fine. There doesn't seem to be any lasting damage."

"Good. Are you guys getting ready to eat? Or can we borrow him?"

"For what?"

"We're going to pick up Nick. I thought we'd invite Peter to come."

"That's in _Houston_."

"We're not staying the night. There and back."

Tony looked over at the boy, who was clearly not suffering from his ordeal – although he was in definite danger of being given a wet willy by Barton, who now was trying to hold Peter down and stick a finger in his ear – and then at Pepper.

"Your call, momma."

"Oh sure, _I'm_ the bad guy if I say no."

"Pretty much."

She smiled, and shrugged.

"I think he'd love to go."

Steve nodded, but Tony raised a hand, slightly.

"He hasn't had dinner, yet."

"We'll pick something up in Houston."

"Not junk food," Pepper told him. " _Real_ food. Not just a bag of chips or something."

"Real food," Steve promised, smiling. "You'll watch Jack?"

"Of course."

"Uncle Tony loves puppy sitting," Strange pointed out.

"When will you be back?"

"Depends. Do you want him to eat in a sit down restaurant? Or can I feed him something from a drive thru?"

"Something healthy," Pepper said.

"After midnight, but not later than two."

"That's fine," Tony told him. "He can sleep on the way into the city tomorrow – if he doesn't sleep on the jet."

"Which he _won't_ ," Steve told him. "I'll go get Jack."

Rogers waved a thumbs up to Barton and left the lounge, and Clint pulled himself off Peter, ruffling his hair before offering him a hand up.

"Go get your flight suit on."

"Why?"

"So you can impress all the hotties in Houston, of course."

"What?"

Barton grinned, and pushed the boy toward the table.

"Do what you're told, young man. I'm going to go preflight the jet."

Peter rescued his book from where it had landed after Clint's assault, and then went over to the table.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Steve and Clint are going to go pick up Nick from Houston and asked if you could go," Tony explained. "Do you want to?"

"Can I?"

"Do you feel up to it?"

Peter smiled.

"Yeah." He looked at Natasha. "Are you going?"

"No. They don't need me. It's a there and back flight. You can keep them out of trouble, right?"

"Sure."

"Go on, then," Tony told him, making a shooing motion with his hand. "We're leaving here at 7:30 tomorrow, so try to get some sleep when you get back, okay?"

"Yeah."

The cloak grumbled in his mind as it switched over to Strange – obviously not interested in Houston – but Peter felt only cheerful. He hugged Pepper, as if he was well aware that _she_ was really the one who was giving him permission to go, gathered up his homework and trotted out of the room.

OOOOOOOO

He took his laptop with him. Well aware that he wouldn't be able to see anything out the windows in the jet on the way home because it was going to be dark, he thought that he might work on one of his essays, at least, and maybe get a jump on things. He had one he was going to write about the Avengers, and though that what better place to write it than when sitting in the Avenger jet - besides, maybe Steve or Clint would be able to save him some time researching.

He was pretty good at quickly changing into the flight suit by now, and ignored the strip-tease music Karen played as he pulled his jeans off and tossed them on his sofa. Remembering something that Tony had said, he zipped up the suit and then spoke aloud.

"Karen? Can you tell me where people are in the facility?"

 _"Of course. Who are you looking for?"_

"Where's Steve?"

 _"In the lounge."_

"Clint?"

 _"Clint Anderson is in the gym. Clint Allen is not in the facility. Clint Barton is not in the facility, Clint Mot-"_

"That's good," Peter interrupted, realizing that she was going to tell him where everyone named Clint she had files for was. "Thanks."

Clearly he was going to have to learn how to interact with her being out of his suit. It would be a learning process for him.

He put his laptop in his backpack, along with the book – just in case – and ran out to the jet's landing pad.

OOOOOOOO

He sat in the copilot seat on the way out, although he didn't fly. Which was fine with him, because while it was exciting to fly the jet, it wasn't a driving desire he had. He liked to go in the jet because the jet was cool, yes, but they could have been on a road trip in a beat up old jalopy and he would have been just as excited. For _Peter_ , it was the company he was keeping, and the fact that they all genuinely seemed to _like_ his company.

True to his word, when they landed at the private airfield Steve took Peter and Clint to a restaurant above the terminal and fed them as much ribs, coleslaw and toast as they could eat.

Which was where Nick found them.

"Peter," the director said, offering his hand to Peter, but then pulling it back when he saw all the barbeque sauce smeared on the boy's hands from the ribs he was eating. "How are you doing?"

"Good, thanks."

"Getting out of town?"

The boy smiled.

"Any excuse to hitch a ride in the jet," he admitted.

"Are you hungry, Nick?" Steve asked.

"Sure."

Fury sat and joined them at their table, and over the course of the meal had a chance to hear the details of the kidnapping, both from Peter – which Steve and Clint hadn't heard directly, either – and from Steve and Clint, who had a different point of view of the events. They finished their meal, still discussing the kidnapping, but Fury was more concerned with the fact that Peter had been grabbed so close to the compound. Steve had a feeling that the safety net around the facility grounds was going to be expanded in the near future.

They finished eating and washed the barbeque sauce from hands and faces, then headed for the jet. Peter gave the copilot seat to Steve since it was dark, now, and there wasn't anything to really see out the window. Fury sat beside him in the fuselage of the jet and looked over his shoulder when Peter pulled his laptop out.

"What are you working on?" he asked, curiously.

"Homework assignment. Essay."

"On what?"

"Whatever I want," Peter said. "I thought I'd write about how the Avengers began, and what was going on in the world at the time that would prompt the forming of a group like them."

"You realize I helped form the Avengers, right?"

Peter nodded, hopefully.

"Natasha told me. Any input would be helpful. Otherwise I'll be using Wikipedia when I get home."

Fury snorted.

" _I'm_ your Wikipedia when it comes to the Avengers, son," he told him. "You're not going to find most of the things you're looking for in a web search. What do you want to know?"

Steve looked over at Clint with a grin, and Barton shook his head, amused. Peter didn't know it, but he'd found Fury's button, and the boy was going to learn all that he wanted to know – and probably a lot that he didn't even know that he wanted to know. The flight went from quiet to very animated as Nick Fury began telling Peter all about not only some of his history, but the history of the Avengers; having found the perfect listener in Peter.

Not only was he literally trapped in a plane with him for a few hours, but Peter genuinely _wanted_ to hear everything that he wanted to tell him.


	146. Chapter 146

A hand on his side woke him from a fairly sound sleep.

"Peter…" the voice was Tony's, and he rolled over and opened his eyes.

"Hmmm?"

"Wake up, okay? Time to get going."

He nodded and closed his eyes.

" _I told you he wouldn't wake up."_

That voice was Karen's.

"We'll get you a zapper," Stark assured the AI. "Next time he ignores you, you can shock him."

"You can't do that," Peter told him, not opening his eyes, but amused by the threat and smiling. "That's probably _child abuse_ or something."

"You can't prosecute an AI," Tony reminded him. He shook his side. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah."

"Did you have a good time last night?"

"Yeah. It was fun. Got some homework done, too. Nick helped me."

"With your homework?"

"Yeah. He's a pretty smart guy, you know?"

"Yes. Don't tell him I said that, though."

"Okay."

"Open your eyes so I can tell Pepper you were awake when I left your room. That way if you're not in the garage in fifteen minutes and she has to come get you, it's not my fault."

He opened his eyes, and saw Stark was sitting on the edge of his bed. He was ready for his day, looking just as sharp in the suit he was wearing as Stephen Strange usually did.

"I'm awake."

Tony nodded, and his hand went to Peter's forehead, his expression unreadable. He was thinking how much different this morning could be going – if things had turned out badly.

"Is it too sappy for me to tell you I love you?"

Peter smiled, and shook his head.

"I like hearing it."

"Good." Stark got up, and headed for the door. "Fifteen minutes."

"Tony?"

Stark turned at the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"I love you, too. Just so you know."

" _Twenty_ minutes, then."

Peter laughed, and tossed the blankets aside and headed for the bathroom.

OOOOOOOO

He didn't sleep on the way to the doctor's appointment. Pepper had turned in her seat on the way to the city and had asked him about the flight the night before and what he'd had for dinner. They knew when he'd arrived at the compound. For one thing, Steve had come to claim his puppy from the middle of their bed, and for another Friday advised Tony when the Quinjet landed, safely.

She showed Peter the morning paper, as well. There was a very small article about the kidnapping practically buried on one of the last pages. Pepper explained to him that Tony had allowed the story to leak – mainly because he had told Steve to go ahead and allow the feds at the warehouse to release the actual facts from the kidnapping to those members of the press that had rushed to the area the night they'd gotten Peter back.

"It doesn't even mention Umbrella guy," Peter said, reading the article.

"The press are reeling right now," Tony explained, looking at him in the rearview mirror. "They're shocked that one of their own was responsible for grabbing you, so they're not going to go out of their way to admit that – even if he was a freelance journalist."

"It makes them all look bad," Pepper told him. "I don't know how long it will keep them subdued, but Happy told me that there haven't been any people standing outside the tower the last two days."

Tony didn't mention it, but he also approved of the fact that the article mentioned that everyone involved in the kidnapping was dead. It sent a clear warning to the next batch of treasure hunters. There would be no foolishness allowed when it came to Peter's safety.

"We'll enjoy the reprieve while it lasts," Tony said. "Right, Peter?"

"Yeah."

OOOOOOOO

"Peter," Dr. Bird said, gesturing toward the usual chair the boy sat in. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay."

Peter sat down and the doctor rested his gentle gaze on the boy for a long, silent, moment.

"You look tired."

"I was up late last night."

"Sleepwalking?"

"I went to Houston with Steve and Clint. On the jet," he added, helpfully, to explain how he'd gotten there and back in a day.

"That must be an exciting adventure."

"Yeah. It's a lot of fun. I've never really traveled before. Now it happens a lot. We're not moving into the tower," he added. "They think I might be better off at the Avenger facility. For now, anyway."

"What do _you_ think about that?"

"The tower is amazing," Peter answered. He kind of hated being asked how he felt about things, but he knew that was the whole idea behind having therapy. "I love the compound, though."

"Why is that?"

"Because that's where the Avengers are."

Bird smiled, but then his expression became serious.

"I read about the kidnapping." His gaze went to Peter's wrist, which was still heavily bandaged, although his watch was in its customary place over the bandages. "Were you injured?"

"Just my hand. They handcuffed my wrist and it cut me."

"Do you mind telling me about it?"

Peter shook his head and gave the doctor a brief summary of what had happened, starting with him walking Jack, leading up to the Avengers finding the warehouse. He had to admit to the doctor that he didn't remember all that much, since he'd been drugged.

"What kind?" he asked, curiously.

"I'm not sure. It messed with my head, though. I thought Tony and the others were chasing me, but they weren't."

"They found you at the warehouse?" Bird asked. "The paper is a little unclear how you were rescued."

"I was gone by the time they came," Peter told him. "I got loose and escaped."

"You got a key to the handcuff? Or someone broke you loose…?"

Peter hesitated, but shook his head.

"I broke it. It wasn't very strong."

"Have you _been_ sleepwalking?"

"Not since the kidnapping."

"Why is that, do you think?"

"I don't know. Too tired, I guess. The drugs were pretty strong ones. They knocked me out, and I was sleeping a lot. Last night I went to bed really late, like I said, so I might have been too tired, then, too."

"I see. I'd say being kidnapped isn't the best remedy for sleepwalking, however."

"Tony and Pepper would agree, I bet. It was my own fault I got grabbed, though. I should have known they were a threat and ran before they could grab me."

"Any bad dreams?"

"Yeah."

"About the kidnapping?"

"Being chased."

"By Tony and Pepper?"

"By the guys that kidnapped me."

"They never actually chased you, though."

"I know." He shrugged. "It's just a dream."

"Have you had it more than once?"

"Yes."

"Are thy adding more security to the place you live? To protect you?"

"No. I don't think so. It's pretty tough to get in already – I walked out, that's how I got caught."

"How do you feel things are going for you?" Bird asked. "Aside from being kidnapped."

"I'm okay," Peter told him. "Pepper and Tony are doing so much for me. Not just the things they give me, but they're making all kinds of changes in their schedules to be there for me. And helping me stay on schedule and deal with everything when it gets hard to handle."

"Because they love you."

He smiled.

"Yeah."

"You're a lucky guy, Peter," the doctor said. "It's a rare thing to have someone step up when you lose someone you love and need. When it happens twice, that's even more special. Your Aunt May did it when you lost your parents, and now Tony and Pepper are doing it."

Peter felt the sting of tears. Not _sad_ ones, but tears, nonetheless.

"I know."

He changed the subject, then, and started asking about the upcoming trip to Montana. He asked questions, of course; mainly why Peter chose someplace so ordinary when he had anywhere in the world to choose from. Peter spent the rest of the session time showing the doctor the cabin that he'd chosen with Tony, and explaining all the activities that they could do there. Things he'd never be able to do in Queens.

Finally Bird told ended the discussion with a smile, told him happy birthday early, since he wouldn't see him the next week – not until the week after – and asked him to have Tony or Pepper step into the office for their post session chat.

Peter got up and left, walking out into the waiting room to join Pepper and Stark.

"You okay?" Tony asked.

"Yeah."

Peter sat down next to Pepper, who waved Tony toward the office door. She would rather stay with Peter, and knew that Tony was well capable of remembering what the doctor said and passing that information onto them.

"I'll be right back."

Pepper brushed her fingers against Peter's cheek, studying him for any indication that the doctor had upset him. She didn't see anything, though, and when he reappeared in the waiting room a few minutes later, Tony looked almost cheerful. He waved them over to the receptionist desk, reminded her that they weren't going to be in town the next Friday, and passed the new appointment card over to Pepper when he was presented with it.

"Come on, Peter," he said, taking Pepper's arm in his own. "Let's get momma to work and go find some trouble to get into."

Peter smiled at that, but Pepper gave him an admonishing look.

"If it involves bail money, you're both going to be sitting there until next summer."


	147. Chapter 147

"So what did the doctor say?" Pepper asked as they got into the car in the parking garage.

"He said that Peter appears to be adjusting as well as can be expected. _Kidnapping_ aside, that is."

"That's good," Pepper said, turning to look at the boy."

"He mentioned nightmares, though," Tony said, looking at Peter's reflection.

"Yeah. But not _bad_ ones."

"What kind of nightmares, sweetheart?"

He shrugged.

"Just those guys chasing me. He didn't seem too worried about it."

"No," Tony agreed. "That's what he told me, too. He said he would have been surprised if there's weren't bad dreams after the ordeal that Peter went through. But if they keep up, make sure you let him know, okay?"

"I will."

"And the sleepwalking?" Pepper asked.

"Keep a log if it happens." He looked from the traffic on the road back to Peter. "You didn't tell him about Karen?"

"It didn't come up."

"Did he have any suggestions for any changes?" Pepper asked.

"No. He said keep doing what we're doing – and that if anything happened and we needed him before the next appointment to call."

"That's nice."

"Yeah."

OOOOOOOOO

True to what they'd been told, when they pulled up to the tower there were no reporters or journalists waiting around on the sidewalk to greet them. Tony pulled into the parking garage and into his parking spot, then got out and went around to open Pepper's door for her.

"You're going to pick up Ned before you come home?" he asked her as the three of them walked to the elevator.

"Yes. Don't forget we're taking the kids shopping for winter gear tomorrow. I've already spoken to MJ's parents and we'll pick her up at noon."

That was news to Peter, and he assumed – correctly – that it was something that had been decided while he was recovering from being drugged and hadn't seemed important enough to mention to him.

"We're shopping?" he asked.

She smiled.

"There's that tone, again. Like shopping is terrible. Yes, I happen to know that you're woefully unprepared for snow, and after talking to Ned's mother and MJ's father, they are, as well."

"We are, too," Tony told him as they got out of the elevator and headed into Pepper's office. "So we'll get everything we need to keep from freezing bits and pieces off when we go to Montana."

"I'll see you both at home?" Pepper asked, leaning against her desk.

Stark nodded, and kissed her.

"We have a couple of things to do in town, but then we'll head that direction, yes. Have a good day, honey."

"You, too." She hugged Peter, and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Stark grinned at the look she gave him, and then hustled Peter out of the room and back to the elevator.

"Come on, we'll go get you some breakfast before we head out."

"Where are we going?" Peter asked.

"You'll see."

OOOOOOOO

Peter hadn't managed to get Tony to tell him where they were going while he wolfed down a couple of breakfast sandwiches in the car. He had already learned that Tony liked throwing surprises out at him, and wondered if he did it to Pepper, too. He didn't ask, though, knowing perfectly well that he probably did.

"We're going to the sanctum?" he asked, realizing that they were getting close.

"Yeah."

They pulled up to the parking in the front of the building, but Peter was surprised that Strange was standing on the curb, chatting with Wong and obviously waiting for them. Stark stopped the car and both men got into the back.

"Good morning," Strange told them both.

"Morning."

"What's going on?" Peter asked, completely baffled, now.

"You didn't tell him?" Strange asked.

"Tell me what?"

"You'll see."

Peter scowled.

Wong snorted, amused.

The doctor changed the subject before peter could ask again, asking Peter how he was feeling, and getting an overall idea of how the boy was doing and how his therapy session had gone. Both he and Tony looked fairly relaxed and cheerful, so he decided that there wasn't anything that he needed to help them address. Instead, he asked about the flight to Houston, and what he'd done.

Peter was telling them all about the essay he'd finished with fury's help when he realized that they were in his old neighborhood. He fell silent, looking out the window at the buildings he'd grown up around. For a moment, he was afraid that Tony was taking him back to the apartment for some reason and he felt his stomach clench.

As if he was aware of the concern, Tony reached out and put a hand on the boy's shoulder, and instead pulled the car to a curb beside an apartment building that was several blocks away from his old one. He parked and they all got out.

"What are we doing?" Peter asked, confused, as Tony led them into the building and to an elevator.

The place wasn't super fancy, but it wasn't a dump, either. The lobby was clean and modestly furnished with a couple of sofas and chairs, a television and some tables with books and magazines. A small group of elderly women were gathered, watching a soap opera on the television and smiled at the four as they passed.

"I decided that if you're going to be popping in and out to do your thing-" he didn't mention the word _Spiderman_ , since there were people around who might hear. "You needed a safe place to do that. We'll call it a safe house for lack of a better word. Although it's not, technically, a house."

The elevator stopped on the last floor – the 16th floor – and they got out. The hallway was just as clean as the lobby, and well lit. Somewhere behind one of the doors someone was paying loud music that had a lot of bass, but aside from that, it was quiet. Tony led them to 1610, and pulled out a key and unlocked it, opened the door and gestured for them to precede him into the apartment.

It wasn't much bigger than the living room area in his quarters at the compound, Peter saw, and furnished similarly. There was a sofa, a coffee table and a TV on the wall. No video games or any video player, and only a couple of photos hanging on the wall to give it any sense of hominess. The pictures weren't even of anyone Peter knew, he saw. They were literally the ones that came with the frame, and had been hung up to display an odd array of family for the person renting the apartment.

The only thing that distinguished the room at all was a large banana tree in the corner by the window – which was covered in a curtain.

"This isn't a place for you to stay," Tony told him, walking over to the window and looking out. "It's for you to use to teleport yourself into the city, and to go if something goes wrong."

"Which is why Wong and I are here, as well," Strange told him, walking into the kitchen and automatically opening the fridge. It was empty. "We need to know a place to move ourselves there. If something happens, now we can get here to help if it's needed."

"But I could use the tower."

"No. The last thing we need is for people to connect Spiderman and the tower – which means _me_ , of course. It wouldn't take a genius to figure it out, and it's better all around if we keep your secret a _secret_. At least for another few years. When you're older, we can reassess what you want to do."

"This is amazing."

He poked his head into the bedroom, and saw a dresser, a bed and a nightstand. There wasn't even a TV in the room, and the bedding looked freshly purchased. The window was covered with a heavy curtain that would keep people from looking in, even if they wanted to.

"The lights will be on an automatic timer to give it that lived in look, even at times when you're not here for days at a time, and, of course, we have an alarm."

"We do?"

" _I'm here."_ He started when he heard Karen's voice suddenly all around him, softly muted, but clearly her. _"If someone tries to break in for some reason, I can notify the proper authorities – or you or Friday."_

"Wow."

"it might seem a little like overkill," Stark said. "Having her here, but it didn't take much to get it done, and it isn't like Karen can't be everywhere at once without losing any efficiency. Besides, we need a security system that can't be circumvented."

" _Why_?" Wong asked. "There's nothing here to steal except for the TV."

Tony led them all into – of all places – the bathroom. The room was a lot bigger than his bathroom at the compound. It only had a shower stall and a sink and a toilet, but he stopped next to the towel rack and moved the fluffy blue towel to side, revealing a slight indentation in the tile. He pressed it, and suddenly part of the wall slid aside, revealing a small closet-sized room.

Displayed there, waiting to be used, was Peter's Spiderman suit.

"Oh."

"Wow."

Even Strange had to admit that he was impressed.

"You change here, see?"

"Yeah."

Stark closed the panel again and they went out into the living room.

"Last thing," he said, sitting on the arm of the leather sofa. "Call the rock to you, please."

"What?"

"The teleporting rock," Tony said, smiling at the success of the surprise. The boy looked slightly awed, and somewhat excited, and absolutely happy. But there was one more thing he wanted to make sure of before he handed over the key. "Ask it to come to you – or _summon_ it, or whatever you do to get it in your hand."

Peter opened his hand an instant later, revealing the stone.

"We want to make sure that _you_ can find this place, too," Strange said. "Another reason Wong and I are here – in case you can't."

"Teleport back to your room," Tony said. "And then come right back here, please."

Peter nodded and was gone in an instant. Which was still somewhat discombobulating to Stark.

"Karen?"

" _He's in his quarters,"_ she assured him. _"And now he's not."_

Before she had finished, Peter was back in the living room.

"Any problems?" Tony asked Peter.

The boy had that slightly tired look that Stark was already coming to associate with someone using the rock, but he smiled and shook his head.

"It's easy."

"Good."

He handed Peter the key.

"I don't need to tell you that this is not to be used for wild parties or trysts?"

Peter blushed, and shook his head.

"No. Thank you."

Tony smiled.

"You're welcome. Let's get the wizards home and go find an arcade to waste the rest of our morning in."

Strange cleared his throat.

"The _wizards_ can get themselves home, thank you. And if I recall correctly, Pepper said that mornings are for _homework_."

"Pepper's not here."


	148. Chapter 148

Peter and Tony left the apartment building alone, but no one seemed to notice that where there _had_ been four now there were only two. Which was fine, because nosy neighbors were the last thing that they really wanted when it came to that building.

They didn't go to an arcade. Not because Stark was suddenly struck with a surge of responsibility, but because Peter was tired. Not so much because of using the teleporting stone, which was now in his pocket, but because he'd stayed up late the night before and wasn't a hundred percent recovered from his kidnapping ordeal. He would rather take it easy this morning – and maybe get some homework done, and then be more awake for the time that Ned was there.

"You understand that we're trusting you to be responsible when it comes to going out and being Spiderman, right?" Tony said, as they drove out of the city toward the compound.

"Yeah. I won't do anything stupid."

"And stick with the little stuff, okay? If you run into anything too serious, you call me. Right?"

"I will."

"Okay."

They fell silent, but it was comfortable, both of them thinking their own thoughts, but still aware of the person beside them. Peter was seeing all kinds of possibilities with the apartment, but was thinking more of the fact that if he was ready to start thinking about going back to being Spiderman, then he was probably ready to get back to _school_ as well. Not the next week, but maybe he'd talk to Pepper and Tony about returning once they were back from his birthday trip to Montana.

Tony's thoughts were along the same line, but his were a bit more selfish in nature, thinking that he was really enjoying the fact that he pretty much had Peter to himself during the day. He was almost certain that the boy was going to tell them – or maybe _Dr. Bird_ would – that he was ready to go back to school, and he was going to miss these times that he had. _Their time_.

Not that he didn't like the time that he had with Pepper and Peter together, because that was honestly good family time as far as he was concerned. Which was not something he ever would have thought was something that he'd ever have. Or even _want_ , really. Which was a product of his own upbringing, he knew. He had been wrong, though. He was well aware that he was practically wallowing in the idea of being there for Peter, and for Pepper, and making sure that both of them had anything and everything that they needed.

No, Tony was definitely enjoying the idea and the reality of being a family man.

He was also enjoying his time with Peter. The boy was a lot like him, really, only without all the shortcomings. Not that he was perfect, he almost certainly wouldn't be able to lift Thor's hammer, of course, but he was _good_. To the core. And as Stark watched him start to doze off in the seat beside him, lulled by the music, the warm seat and the car's heater, he was excited to see what the boy could be. Especially with someone like _him_ to finish molding him, and guiding him.

As far as Tony was concerned, if he wasn't so sure that Pepper – and _Peter_ – would rise up against him, he'd suggest that they _did_ homeschool Peter. If only to keep him to himself all that much more. Before Peter fell asleep, Tony reached out and put his hand on the boy's shoulder, wanting that connection with him just then.

Peter roused briefly at the touch, but he was too tired, and had too many things being used to relax him, and drifted off without another word. Which was just fine with Tony. He could drive them home a different time.

OOOOOOOOO

They arrived back at the compound around lunch time. Peter woke when the car stopped in the garage, restored by the nap and willing to go with Tony to see what was for lunch before deciding if he was going to work on his homework – which was a couple more essays and that stupid play – or if he was going to let it wait until later. There wasn't anything that Ned, or Tony could help him with, either. But he was smart enough and he knew that he could pull an all nighter and finish what he was behind on before starting whatever Ned brought him that evening.

Procrastinating wasn't really his nature, but he _wasn't_ above being lazy sometimes.

Lunch was burgers and fries over a game of chess. That was where Natasha found them, and she went up behind Peter to see the board while at the same time hugging him from behind and taking hold of his head so she could pull him back to kiss his cheek.

"Are you winning?"

"He's doing pretty good," Peter said, smiling up at her. "He's not the pushover that he used to be."

"I can _hear_ you, you know?" Stark told them, not looking up from the board. "And I was never a pushover."

"Says the guy who lost a pony," Romanoff said.

"Aren't you supposed to be training the next generation of ninjas or something?" Tony asked her, finally making his move and looking up at her with an amused smile.

"I'm taking a break."

"Did you have lunch?" Peter asked, as she sat down at the table.

"Yes. How was therapy?"

"It was okay. Nothing new."

"And you saw the safe house?"

He smiled.

"Yeah. Did you see it?"

"I chose the location," she confirmed. "And vetted the neighbors, just to make sure."

Just to make sure of _what_ , he didn't know – and didn't ask.

"We made sure Stephen and Wong can find it," Tony told her. "And then made sure Peter can, as well."

"When are you going to go out?" she asked, curiously. "Think Spiderman is up for it, yet?"

"Yeah." He looked over at Tony. "Maybe I'll do something Monday, just to remind people that he's still around."

Stark shrugged.

"We'll see, okay? I don't want you rushing into anything."

Peter played his bishop, and nodded.

"Okay."

"I know Ned's going to want to play the VR system tonight, but I want you guys doing something a bit more active," Tony told him. "Why don't you ask him if he is interested in learning hand to hand? I happen to know someone willing to spend a little time with both of you this evening."

Peter smiled at Natasha.

"You know he'll jump at the chance."

Not only to become a ninja, but to spend time with Natasha.

"I'm counting on it," she said, amused. "Ned doesn't know it, yet, but he's going to learn everything he wants to know about being an Avenger. Not that he'll have to become one, of course, but he certainly deserves the opportunity."

"Besides, it's good exercise," Stark added.

Natasha raised an eyebrow and watched as Tony moved his rook.

"Does that mean _you'll_ be there, too?" she challenged.

"I don't _need_ the exercise," he told her.

Peter grinned, and moved his queen.

"Checkmate."


	149. Chapter 149

"If she asks, you worked on homework all morning…"

Peter smiled as the two of them watched Pepper pull the car into the garage at the compound, but he didn't commit himself to any perjury. They were leaning casually against the Pontiac, which put them at the perfect spot for Tony to be able to open her door for her when she had the engine turned off. A hand to assist her out of the car – even though she didn't need it, of course, and she greeted him by turning her head to accept his kiss, which also allowed her to look at Peter, immediately looking for any sign of tiredness or any new injury that she might not have been told about.

He looked healthy. Which was always a relief.

"Hi, guys. Did you have a good day?"

Peter nodded, and waved to Ned, who was getting out of the other side of the car.

"Yeah. How about you?"

"Same ole same ole," she told him. "You saw the apartment?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"That one was Tony's idea," she admitted. "But it's a good one, I agree."

"I have my moments," Stark said, modestly, watching as Peter reached into the back seat and grabbed Ned's bag for him. "Why don't you guys get Ned settled, and catch up? We'll meet in the lounge for dinner in 30 minutes."

"Okay."

They separated at the entrance to the garage.

" _Jesus_ , Peter," Ned said as soon as they were out of earshot. "Pepper told me about the kidnapping. What the hell, man? _Twice_?"

"Yeah. This one was about _money_ , though, and had nothing to do with the sanctum or with magicians like the last one. If they hadn't tricked me, I would have been able to take them out on my own and nothing would have come of it."

"I heard it was the reporter that you gave the umbrella to."

Ned, of course, had seen the article in the paper, and had heard about the real facts on the ride to the compound with Pepper.

"Yeah."

"He's dead?"

"Yeah."

"And the other guys are, too?"

"Yeah."

"That's probably a good thing," Ned told him, sagely. "Less chance of one of them coming back and trying for another grab."

"I suppose. Anything new going on at school?"

Peter was willing to change to the subject, and was sure that they could, now that Ned had the confirmation of what had happened.

"Just the usual. Nothing too exciting, and no good gossip. I brought you more homework. Did you read that _Desire under the Elms_ play? What a letdown. Nothing hot in that book at all… just a bunch of hillbillies saying _ay-yup_ a lot."

Peter grinned at that, and they entered his quarters just a minute later.

" _Hello, Ned."_

The boy looked around.

"What was that?"

"That's _Karen_ ," Peter explained. "Tony integrated her into my rooms, now."

"You mean the AI from your suit?"

"Yeah."

"Dude, _seriously_? That's what she sounds like? She sounds hot."

"She's not _real_ ," he reminded him.

"It doesn't mean she doesn't sound cute," Ned told him, shrugging. "I have a great imagination. You should see what I think Siri looks like – and don't get me started on Alexa…"

"Just say hi and try not to creep out my AI with a weird greeting, okay?"

"Hi, Karen," Ned said, dutifully. "Nice to finally meet you."

" _And you."_

"Are there _cameras_ , too?" Ned asked, looking around the living room. "Where are the interface connections?"

"I don't know. No, there aren't any cameras. At least Karen and Tony have _both_ said that there aren't."

"That's seriously cool that Mr. Stark set that up like that for you. Will she turn off the lights? Control the TV and the remotes? Can she wake you up in the morning?"

"I don't know."

" _Yes. To all of them – except I couldn't wake him up this morning."_

"Dude, Karen is your work wife."

"Shut up. No she isn't."

"She completely is. That's awesome."

Peter shook his head, deciding not to argue.

"Did you bring sweats?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Natasha told me to ask you if you wanted to start hand to hand self defense lessons with her."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"Tonight. After dinner. So don't eat too much. We can have a snack or something when we're done." He smiled at Ned's excited expression. "It's not as glamorous as it looks on TV and in the movies, though, so don't get too excited. When you get _good_ , though… man, Natasha and Steve are incredible to watch."

"Should I change now?"

"If you want." He picked up the bag that Ned had brought his new homework assignments to the compound with. ""I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay."

Peter left the living area for his bedroom, and sorted through the papers, looking at what needed to be done and deciding what was going to be the easiest and what would take the longest time. There wasn't that much in the bag, really. Most of what Ned had brought was the stuff that he'd already turned in, graded and ready to be tossed once he had a chance to filter through anything that might need reworked for credit – assuming that it wasn't up to standard. He decided that he'd look through that pile later, and went out to the living room. Only to find Ned still in his jeans that he'd worn to the compound.

"I thought you were going to change."

Ned flushed, and grabbed Peter's arm and pulled him out the door.

"She began playing music when I started unzipping my pants," he whispered. "It felt like I was in a _porno_. Are you sure there aren't any cameras?"

Peter grinned.

"Yeah. She's got that kind of sense of humor. Come on. You can change later. I'm hungry."

OOOOOOO

Dinner was meatloaf, potatoes and corn on the cob. Pepper and Tony were waiting for the boys, but the meal was served almost immediately after they joined them. Pepper looked at the three guys around the table, realizing that never in a million years would she ever have thought that she would be enjoying something so domestic. Before Peter had been added to their family dynamic, she and Tony almost exclusively ate dinner out. Reservations at the finest restaurants in the city, or take in food the rare times that they didn't go out. Nothing so homey as this – and certainly nothing with two _teenaged boys_ sitting with them.

She smiled over at Tony, amused and somewhat awed as she usually was when she thought about their new living arrangements. His own expression was tender, as if he understood what she was thinking, and was equally enchanted by the situation. Instead of saying anything, though, he turned his attention to Ned and Peter, and asked the boys what they wanted to do over the weekend, to make sure that his ideas and their own wouldn't clash.

"Natasha's starting Ned's hand to hand lessons," Peter said. "So that will be after dinner. I don't know after that. We're shopping tomorrow?"

"Yes. We'll pick MJ up at noon."

"What are you shopping for?" Ned asked, curiously.

Pepper frowned.

"Your mother didn't tell you?" she asked. "We're all getting winter clothes so we don't freeze to death sledding in Montana."

Ned shook his head, smiling at the reminder that he was going to be out in the woods the very next weekend – and still with the Avengers! At least, some of them.

"She probably thought she did, and forgot that she didn't. She does that a lot."

"Is there anything you boys want to do this weekend once we're done shopping?"

"Can we play in the pool?" Ned asked, hopefully.

Thanks to Clint, Ned – like _Peter_ – was now a passable swimmer, and thoroughly enjoyed the fact that the compound had a big swimming pool.

"I don't see why not."

"Sweet."

The subject changed to the Montana trip, and Ned asked what all he should bring. He'd researched the place once Peter had given him the link to the rental, and knew that they weren't going to need blankets or towels and that kind of thing, but he wanted to make sure he was prepared.

Pepper said that she was in touch with the property manager to make sure if they needed to bring their own sleds and other outside entertainment, and if any of that was needed, they'd worry about it. All Ned needed to bring was clothes and himself.

"And Peter's birthday present," Ned added, grinning at his friend.

"Right," Pepper said.

"I hope you didn't get him a _pony_ ," Tony said. "Because we beat you to that."

"I got him something even _better_ ," Ned told them, cryptically, finishing his dinner and pushing his plate aside.

He was ready to go find Natasha and start learning how to kick butt.

"Better than a pony?" Tony asked. "I doubt it. This one has _spots_ …"

Peter rolled his eyes, recognizing that they were teasing him, and enjoying the interaction between Ned and Tony.

"I'm too _old_ for a pony," he reminded both of them. "And I've never been close to a horse, except a police horse in the park one time – and I'm pretty sure it growled at me."

"Do they growl?" Ned asked.

Stark frowned, and looked over at Pepper.

"Pepper? You're our resident farm girl, and that makes you the expert. _Do_ horses growl?"

"I've never heard one, she admitted.

"There you go. It might have made a noise, but it almost certainly did not growl at you. Now get going, and tell Natasha not to beat Ned up too much. We don't want his mother changing her mind about allowing him to come on our trip."

Ned practically jumped up, eagerly. Pepper held up a hand as Peter got up as well.

"Be careful, now."

Tony smiled, amused at the automatic mother mode she went into – not only for _Peter_ , apparently, but also for Ned.

"Don't worry, Mother," he said, primly. "Peter will watch out for Ned. Right, Peter?"

"Yeah." The boy moved over behind Pepper, and wrapped his arms around her from behind, clasping them just above her collarbone and pulling her back against him, hugging her. He was in a good mood, feeling playful and ready to tease. He pressed his cheek against hers. "I'll take good care of him, momma."

He brushed a kiss against her cheek and let her go, and without another word he and Ned left the lounge.

Pepper shook her head, once more amazed at how life was changing for her and Tony.


	150. Chapter 150

"Holy _shit_ …"

Natasha smiled at the curse, looking over at Ned, who was so transfixed on the two combatants in front of them that he didn't even realize that he'd sworn aloud.

"You've never seen Peter spar?" she asked, and then realized that the only time they had lessons for the boy were when Steve and Natasha – or _Strange_ and Natasha – were at the compound at the same time Peter was.

Which hadn't been any time that Ned was there, until now.

"No."

They were watching Steve and Peter, who were going at each other in a flurry of punches and kicks that were impressively fast, Natasha knew. She also knew that it was in no way the fastest that they could go. They were trying to go slow enough that Ned could see each individual motion, so he could get an idea of what Natasha was going to be teaching him.

"He's getting pretty good," Romanoff acknowledged.

"Is Steve _letting_ him do that?"

"No," she answered, understanding the question. "He's trying to hit him – and Peter's trying to hit Steve."

"That's crazy."

"With practice, you could be that good."

"I don't have Peter's coordination and strength," Ned pointed out.

"Neither do I," she reminded him. "And I can hold my own against both of them."

"Yeah, but you're an _Avenger_."

"Which doesn't mean I'm super strong, or anything," Natasha said with a smile, as if being an Avenger gave her special abilities. "It just takes a lot of practice and hard work. If you apply yourself, you'll be able to do it, too. Peter would probably be willing to spar with you anytime you want, I imagine."

"Yeah… Peter's a good guy." He watched for a minute longer. "I can't believe anyone was able to kidnap him."

"He can't outrun a tranquillizer dart."

"True."

"Ready to learn how to do some of that?"

Ned grinned.

"Yeah."

OOOOOOOO

Two hours later the lesson was finished, Ned was physically worn out and excited about the blocks and punches he'd learned – from _Natasha and Captain America_ , no less! – and had taken a shower and changed into clean clothes. The boys had decided that they'd go to the lounge, even though Karen told Peter that Tony and Pepper were in their quarters. He figured they'd want some down time away from obnoxious teenagers, and he and Ned could always find something to do to amuse themselves.

What they ended up doing was playing chess. They mooched sandwich makings from the bartender and grabbed a couple of bags of chips and played chess at the corner table while munching their way through their evening snack.

Ned was somewhat better than Peter was when it came to chess, but luckily, he was also distracted by the lesson he'd just had and was talking about it with Peter. It was enough to make them even, and the first game they played actually ended up in a draw. They played another, but they were only beginning when Steve and Natasha arrived in the lounge, as well, with Jack. Ned took the puppy from Rogers and cuddled and cooed over him while the four switched to a game that they could all play, and instead played Life.

When Pepper and Tony also arrived in the lounge maybe an hour after that, Pepper took Jack from Ned, to love and cuddle, and the six of them played Scattagories, which was better for a larger group of people. Pepper asked Ned about his lesson, and listened as the boy told her everything that he had learned, and tried, practically minute by minute. Then Ned asked Steve if he was going to go to Montana for the upcoming trip, and when he said he wasn't certain, Natasha teamed up with the two boys to try to convince him to commit to going.

"Jack could come," Pepper pointed out, looking down at the puppy, who had fallen asleep in her arms while they'd been playing. "He'd have a ball, I bet."

"And chew up everything in the house," Steve said, amused.

He was learning fast about puppies, and that anything he didn't want chewed on needed to be kept out of reach.

"We have plenty of space," Tony said. "A long day playing in the snow, a warm fire to sit in front of. Very comfortable."

Rogers shook his head.

"You're going shopping for winter things?"

"Tomorrow," Pepper confirmed.

"Buy me some. _Just in case_."

Ned and Peter both smiled at that, and eventually Tony went into dad mode and decided it was getting late and sent everyone to bed, stating that they should all get some sleep – even if they weren't tired. There was very little grumbling, and Steve took Jack from Pepper and said goodnight. Since Steve, Natasha and Peter were all neighbors, they walked out together, and Tony smiled over at Pepper.

"I'm _exhausted_."

She nodded, getting up and taking his hand and pulling him to his feet.

"Don't worry. They'll probably stay up all night playing video games, so we'll get to sleep in."

"Good thing."

OOOOOOOO

Pepper was wrong.

Ned was tired. He'd had a long week – emotionally wracking after learning about Peter being in danger, and physically simply because he burned a lot of energy being as animated as he was. From getting up early for school that morning all the way to his hand to hand lesson, he was ready for some sleep. He hid from Karen in the bathroom to change into sweats, and then sacked out on the couch, telling Peter that if he was going to sleepwalk that night to not trip in the dark and wake him.

Peter had had a nap in the car earlier, and he _wasn't_ tired. He had homework, though, and took it to his bed with him, closing the bedroom door to avoid keeping Ned awake with the light. He started to read the _Desire under the Elms_ play when he realized that he was fidgety, and that it wasn't just the excitement and fun of having Ned staying at the compound. It was an inner call that he hadn't felt in weeks, but was now suddenly tugging at his mind and making his skin almost crawl.

And it wouldn't go away.

"Karen? Is Tony awake?"

He knew that Karen could ask Friday. If he was asleep, Peter didn't want to wake him. A moment later, Peter's watch chimed.

" _Peter?"_

It was Tony.

"Did Friday wake you?"

" _No. I'm just going to bed. Everything okay?"_

"Yeah." He hesitated. "Can I go out? Ned's asleep and I feel restless."

" _Are you okay?"_

"Yeah. It's one of those spider things. I don't feel anything is really wrong. Just that I might be needed. If that makes sense…?"

" _It does not,"_ Tony admitted. _"You're not too tired?"_

"I took a nap earlier. I feel good."

" _Okay. Not too long, though – and check in when you get back so I – so_ Pepper _doesn't worry about you."_

Peter smiled.

"Yeah, I will. Good night."

Peter tossed the play aside and got out of his bed and slipped into his shoes. A moment later the teleport stone was in his hand and an instant after that, Peter was in the living room of the safe house, and heading for the bathroom.

It was time to get back into the swing of things. _Literally_ , in his case.

OOOOOOOOO

"You're not worried?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah. I _am_."

"But you can't follow him, because he would know you're there."

"Right. Besides, I don't _need_ to follow him, really. Karen will watch him, through the suit, and Friday will relay to me if something comes up."

She frowned, and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her forearms.

"It's one thing to sit up and worry about him being out on a date or something and waiting for him to come home, safe. This is much more intense."

"I know. But he's been doing it for months without us even in the picture, and he was doing _fine_." Aside from having that building dropped on him, ad almost drowning, but he didn't mention that to Pepper. "He's as prepared as he can be, and he won't try to do more than he can handle. He _promised_."

She leaned against him.

"What if he does?"

He put an arm around her.

"You don't trust him?"

"I _do_. It's just that he might not realize it's more than he can handle until it's too late."

"Stephen and Wong are both available, and a lot closer than I am. If something happens, Karen will tell Friday, Friday will tell me, and I will call them. He's going to be fine."

She didn't look convinced, but she nodded.

Tony smiled, despite his own concern.

What are you going to do when he starts _dating_?"

"Get the first of many gray hairs, I imagine."


	151. Chapter 151

Her name was Maria Gonzalez. She wasn't anyone important, not anyone special – at least not to those outside of her family and friends, who loved her very much. She worked at night, cleaning office buildings after all the workers had gone home, and had had a long, tiring day. All she could think of as she got off the bus was how good it would feel to have a warm bath and eat the dinner that her husband had told her would be waiting when she returned home.

She was so tired and distracted that she didn't notice that she wasn't the only one to get off the bus, and hadn't noticed the two men following her until it was too late.

A final turn toward her apartment building led her into an area that was unusually dark as a streetlight had been out for weeks and hadn't been fixed, yet, by the city. She was brought up short by a person standing almost directly in front of her – and far too close for her comfort. Before she could scream for help, rough hands grabbed her. One wrapping around her tiny body and then other slapping over mouth, holding her tightly against him.

"Scream and I'll kill you."

The voice was harsh, the breath smelled of tobacco and alcohol.

She struggled, despite the threat, and was horrified to see another man joining the first as he pulled her into the alley to their right, out of the sight of anyone who might pass by. Maria didn't have any money on her – only her purse, which held a bus pass, her identification, a small amount of makeup and the usual objects. She was terrified that the men would become violent when they found she wasn't worth mugging.

With the hand still over her mouth, she was pushed down to the dirty surface of the alley, both men holding her and the hand still over her mouth. Someone grabbed for her purse, but in the very faint light of a restaurant's back alley bulb down the way a bit, she saw the gleam of metal from a knife, and saw it flash above her. She closed her eyes, feeling one of the men grab her dress, fear paralyzing her, now.

Before she realized what was happening, the weight holding her down was suddenly lifted. The hands clutching at her were torn away – along with a piece of the dress she had on. She opened her eyes in time to see one of the men swinging the knife at someone dressed in tight-fitting dark clothing, and saw the attacker fall to a quick blow. The rescuer flung his (her?) hand out at the man and she realized that she could scramble to her feet as one man was suddenly pinned to the dumpster they had knocked her down beside, and the other was groaning, writhing on the alley beside her.

Impossibly strong and gentle hands pulled her to her feet, and she screamed – a delayed reaction to the fear that had held her immobile. The hands released her immediately and she heard a ridiculously young voice from behind the mask scream in fright, too.

"You're okay," she was told, quickly, the hands that had helped her to her feet went into the air, proving to her that they were empty and that he wasn't going to hurt her.

A light came on close by, and suddenly the alley was bathed in illumination that was blinding after the almost complete darkness it drove away. Maria could now see several things at once. Her attackers were both pinned by what looked like spider webbing, both held completely immobile, her savior was almost as small as she was and dressed head to toe in a costume that she knew was familiar, but was too stunned to recognize just then.

"It's the Spiderman!" Someone shouted, as people poured from the door that led out into the alley.

"I gotta go," that young voice told her.

He raised his hand, and in an instant had swung away, before she could even say thank you, and Maria suddenly found herself engulfed in a mob of concerned folks. At the end of the alley, the lights of a police car were fast approaching.

She was safe.

OOOOOOOO

It was hard. He hadn't realized just how hard it would be, or how much he would ache as he perched to the side of a building, watching the familiar streets and sights below him. Every time he turned, he would see something that would remind him of May and the years that they'd lived in the neighborhood in happy obscurity.

That was the restaurant she liked to tease the cashier by pretending to pay in dimes. There was her favorite hair place. She would occasionally get her nails done just around the corner, there. Peter found his eyes watering more than once as he reacquainted himself with his old neighborhood while trying to listen to that inner call that would tell him where he might be needed, and where to go. Clearly, he wasn't over his loss, no matter how the good days were outnumbering the bad, lately. He might have gone back to the compound, ready to leave the painfully familiar neighborhood until another day, but that feeling that something was going to happen and he was going to be needed just wouldn't allow him to go.

It was almost an hour by the time that he'd felt the tingling. It was almost an itch, really, only it was inside, where he couldn't scratch it. He was pretty good at sorting it out, though, by now, and allowed those senses to guide him.

When he saw the woman being grabbed, he'd acted immediately, only taking as much time as was needed to drop from so many floors up down to the alley. His first shot of webbing had stopped the hand with the knife before anything could happen, and Peter had jerked a little harder than necessary when pulling that arm away from the woman. He didn't stop to apologize, though, and had surprised even himself by just how quickly he'd been able to deal with the two attackers.

Obviously the lessons with Steve and Natasha were going to yield great benefits to his resume of abilities. The two men were not dead, but were definitely not going anywhere anytime soon. The woman was safe – although she'd scared him when she'd screamed – and he made his own escape just as the police cruiser that Karen had called for turned the alley.

"Is she alright?" Peter asked, watching as the police started sorting everything out far below him.

" _Vitals are well within normal range_ ," Karen assured him.

"And the men?"

" _Broken arm, contusions and a concussion. Nothing life-threatening."_

He nodded, satisfied, and felt the edginess that had plagued him now ebbing. Replaced by only the painful nostalgia that came with remembering how many times he had successfully snuck back into the apartment he had shared with May after doing some Spiderman thing. He concentrated for the briefest of moments and suddenly had the teleport stone in his hand.

 _Where?_

He transferred to the safe house living room, figuring it was a lot safer for him to teleport directly into the room rather than risk someone seeing him crawling through a window or something. It wouldn't be a safe house long if that happened, after all.

"Check in with Friday, will you Karen?" he asked before pulling off the suit. "Let them know I'm done and going to bed."

" _Will do."_

He undressed, hung the suit up and then closed the panel that hid it. Then he got back into the sweats and t-shirt that he'd worn to bed, and an instant later was back in his room.

" _You're home?"_ came Tony's voice over his watch communication.

"Yeah."

" _You're okay?"_

He nodded, even though Stark couldn't see it.

"I'm fine, thanks."

" _Good night, Peter."_

"Night, Tony."

He sighed, and looked around his room, and his eyes went to the picture of him and May in the park. The frame had been replaced since he'd broken it on one of his jumps the night he'd escaped from his kidnappers, and he got up and walked over to the dresser, picking it up.

She _knew_ , and had never told him. Not until it was too late.

Tears blurred his vision and he set the picture down.

"I'm going for a walk, Karen."

He left his room and walked through the living room, listening to Ned's soft breathing as he silently passed his friend and let himself out of his quarters.

OOOOOOO

Natasha woke when he entered her bedroom, and pulled her blankets back, silently, as he joined her. In the faint light she could see that his eyes were wet, and she frowned when he slid under the blankets and tucked up beside her, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

She didn't ask him what was wrong. Instead, she covered him warmly and pulled him into her arms, wondering if he was sleepwalking, or just having a rough night. It didn't matter, though, really. Her response was the same, either way.

She wrapped her arms around him and tucked his head under her chin and held him while he cried, his tears soaking her shirt and her shoulder. Then, when he'd cried himself to sleep, she continued to hold him, more than willing to be part of the support system that he needed.

Superhero or not.


	152. Chapter 152

Natasha was still in her bed when Peter woke the next morning. He sighed, and wasn't in any hurry to move, although he knew it was selfish of him to keep her to himself when she probably had a lot to do – even on a weekend.

Her grip on him tightened, though, and she ran her fingers through his hair, tenderly.

"Are you okay, baby?"

He turned his head up to look at her, and nodded.

"I went out last night."

"Into the city?" she asked, just to make sure they were talking about the same thing.

"Yeah."

"Your first time back to your old neighborhood," she said, understanding immediately why he'd been upset. "That must have been hard."

"I didn't even consider that it would be," he admitted. "But it seemed like everything I saw reminded me of May."

"But they were good memories, right?"

He nodded. He hadn't thought of _that_ , either.

"Yes."

"It's still fresh, you know," she told him, tucking his head under her chin and hugging him. "I know you think you should be over it, but it's going to happen all the time. And it will probably hit you when you're least expecting it. Just remember that we're here for you when it's too much. Okay?"

"Thanks, Natasha."

He stayed beside her for a long moment, soaking up the comfort she was willing to give him, but then he sighed again.

"I should get up."

"Yeah, me, too."

"Are you going shopping with us this afternoon?"

"No. Stephen and I are going to go sometime during the week. I have a couple of things I need to take care of today with Steve. Tony mentioned you guys wanted to play in the pool this weekend, though, and I'm always up for that, you know?"

"Great."

He pulled away, but smiled.

"Thanks, Natasha."

"You're welcome. I'll see you tonight sometime, okay?"

"Yeah."

He left her quarters and went to his own rooms, just in time to see Ned sit up on the couch, obviously just waking up.

"Where have you been?" Ned asked.

"I was talking to Natasha."

"Did you sleepwalk last night?"

"No." He leaned on the back of the sofa. "I went out as Spiderman, though."

Ned's eyes lit up.

"Did you see anything interesting?"

"A woman got mugged. I broke it up and Karen called the police."

"Did she get hurt?"

"Karen says she didn't."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing that needed taken care of," Peter told him. "For a Friday, it was pretty tame."

"Cool. You should have woke me up."

"So you'd have had to sit here waiting for me to get back?"

"No, dipshit. With Karen integrated into your room here, I could keep in touch with you – if she allows me to interface with you while you're in the suit. With a computer hooked into the network, I could see everything that you see – I could even talk to you."

"I didn't think of that."

"It's something to think about," Ned said, shrugging. "It would only work on days that I'm hanging out here, of course, but it might be helpful – and it would definitely be cool."

"I'll see what Tony thinks about it," Peter promised.

"I could totally be the guy in the chair," Ned told him, grinning.

" _Do you want to see the recording I made last night_?" Karen asked.

"Of the mugging?" Ned asked, looking at Peter.

" _Yes."_

"Peter?"

He hadn't even thought of the fact that the recordings could be shared - or _he_ would have offered Ned the chance to see it.

"Sure. I don't mind."

The TV came on by itself and a moment later Ned was watching from Peter's outlook as he watched the woman turn a corner far below him and suddenly get grabbed and then Peter rescue her – and then escape before the police could show up.

"That's _awesome_ ," Ned said. "You might have saved that woman's life."

Peter shook his head.

"Saved her from getting _robbed_ , anyway." His friend was looking at him in awe, and Peter gave him an awkward smile. "Let's go get some breakfast, okay? Then maybe we can play the VR before we go shopping."

OOOOOOO

Pepper and Tony were in the lounge when the boys walked in. They were eating breakfast and discussing their upcoming day and had obviously not been up for very long. Both smiled at the boys when they walked over to the table.

After the usual good morning greetings, they went to the bar to order breakfast, and then joined Pepper and Stark at their table.

"How did it go last night?" Tony asked Peter, curiously.

"Karen didn't tell you?"

Stark shook his head, a slight smile on his face.

"I don't talk to Karen, Peter. She's _your_ AI, and only will talk to me through Friday – and only if you ask her to, or if there's an emergency – like when you got sick."

"Peter stopped a woman from getting killed," Ned said.

"From getting _mugged_ ," he corrected, playing it down a bit since Ned was exaggerating.

"So you were right about going out."

"Yeah. I think so."

"How does that work?" Pepper asked, curiously. "You just know that something is going to happen?"

Peter nodded, and shrugged.

"Sometimes I get edgy, and sometimes I feel a tingle – like there's an itch under my skin that I can't scratch hard enough to make it go away. Last night I was edgy, like something was going to happen. But it might have just been that I had the safe house and wanted to check out how it worked. It could have been a coincidence that someone tried to mug the woman."

"You should see the video," Ned said, excitedly. "Peter took the guys down before they even knew what happened. We won't mention that he screamed like a little girl when she screamed at him."

Stark smiled at Peter's blush.

"We don't need to mention it," he agreed.

"What are you guys doing this morning?" Pepper asked.

"VR?" Peter asked, hopefully. "Unless you need help with something?"

Tony looked at Pepper, who shook her head.

"I don't need anything."

"That's fine, then. Be in the garage by 10:30. We'll go pick up MJ and then do our shopping and feed her lunch before we take her home."

The bartender called Peter's name just then, but Ned was the one who got up to go get their breakfast. Pepper met Peter's gaze, her expression slightly concerned.

"How did you handle being back in your old neighborhood last night?"

"Not very well," he admitted.

Tony frowned. Clearly he hadn't thought of that.

"Are you alright?"

Peter nodded.

"I am, now."

"But not before?"

"It was hard – and I didn't even think about that possibility. But yeah, I'm alright. Really."

Ask him again the next time he got back from going out.

Ned returned carrying breakfast for both of them, and the conversation went silent as the boys applied themselves to their meal with typical teenaged enthusiasm. While they ate, though, Tony plied Peter with questions about the night before. Where he had gone, what he had done and when Ned mentioned the video again, he asked if he could see it. Rather than get up when Peter told him yes, he simply had Friday get the upload from Karen, since he had permission to pry, and watched it on his cell, with Pepper looking over his shoulder.

"I don't want you to think we're going to debrief every time you go out," Tony told him when he'd watched the video several times. "But I _would_ like you to allow me to show it to Steve and Natasha. It looks to me like you handled yourself very well, but if anyone would know how to help you improve, it will be those two."

Peter nodded his agreement with that.

"Maybe we can edit out my scream?"

Pepper smiled.

"I think it's _adorable_."

Peter rolled his eyes, but it was Ned who replied.

"Batman would never scream like that."

Pepper shrugged, but it was _Tony_ who answered.

"Batman wasn't saving lives at _sixteen_ ," he said, his expression not hiding the fact that he was very proud of what Peter had done for the unknown woman.

Peter simply flushed with pleasure at the sentiment, and looked down at his plate while he finished eating.


	153. Chapter 153

It was bit easier to keep track of time, even playing the VR, with Karen involved. The AI simply interrupted their street race (which was tame enough that they could play in Peter's rooms, instead of the gym) and told them that they had five minutes before they had to meet Pepper and Tony in the garage. The boys immediately turned off the system, Peter thanked Karen for the heads up, and they headed for the garage.

Pepper was just arriving when they did, pulling on a light jacket, even though it wasn't too chilly a morning. Tony was standing by the sedan, clearly waiting for all of them.

"We don't need more room than this, do we?" he asked Pepper as he held the door for her.

"I don't think so. It's just the five of us, and we can have everything delivered out here tomorrow, so it'll be ready to pack up."

"Get in, boys," Tony told them, making a gesture with his hands at the same time.

Peter took his customary spot behind Tony, and Ned sat behind Pepper.

"What did you play?" she asked, turning in her seat like she normally did when she wanted to converse with Peter in the car.

"The LeMans racing game," Peter answered.

"Is it _realistic_?"

"It's pretty fun."

They discussed the VR system as Tony drove them into the city. During the time that they'd had access to the VR system, Ned and Peter had played every video game the system offered, and were more than willing and capable of giving her an honest opinion of the potential for the system. They didn't know the financial side of the business well enough to hold an actual conversation but they were now familiar enough with the play that they were able to consider themselves experts in the practical side of it.

Even better, they planned to try out the movies that night, so they could tell her what they thought of that over brunch the next day.

Tony would interject his opinion and thoughts as well as they drove, but once they hit the city, he was listening more to Friday, who was integrated in the car's GPS system and was telling him how to get to MJ's, since he'd never picked the girl up before. It was just before the appointed time when they arrived in front of her building, and everyone was invited in, since MJ's folks had yet to actually meet Tony – although they knew Pepper, by now, and had seen and even talked to Peter and Ned at school functions.

Stark was at his charismatic best as they sat in the living room and discussed not only their afternoon excursion, but also gave the girl's parents an outline of the plan for the next weekend. Since the kids were going to miss Friday and Monday at school, there had already been the discussion of having permission slips through the administration, but Ned's mom and MJ's folks had already signed off on that. Pepper would pick up Ned and MJ after she was finished at the tower on Thursday and they would spend the night at the compound before leaving Friday morning.

It wasn't surprising, considering how good Pepper was at closing deals and how much Tony excelled at being charming – when he _wanted_ to be – that the girl's parents were satisfied fairly quickly, and they were all being ushered back into the car less than an hour later to go do their shopping.

They had planned initially to go to a department store, but Tony had remembered that Peter mentioned snowshoeing, and that wasn't something they were going to find on the rack at Wal-Mart or JC Penny's, so they ended up at an outdoors store. The place catered mainly to outdoorsmen and hunters and fishermen – and Peter and Tony had proven quite thoroughly that they didn't actually qualify as any of those – but it would have everything that they wanted to try, and that was all that mattered.

Since they were driving an ordinary (if _expensive_ ) car and weren't someplace that people would expect to see Tony Stark or Ironman, they were able to go into the store without any commotion. Tony smiled as he led them all inside, thinking idly that to the casual glance they could pass as just a regular family; the mom and dad, and a few teenagers. Yeah, maybe Ned would have been assumed to be adopted – he didn't look like Tony or Pepper, after all – but there were a lot of mixed families out there.

They spent a long time in the store. The outerwear was easy; coats, gloves, scarves, boots and thick socks for everyone wasn't too tricky – although for the most part, they all had different ideas of what looked good on them, and what didn't. They picked out items for Steve, as well, just in case he decided to join them, and Tony let Pepper decide what to get Rogers, figuring that if it wasn't what he wanted, then she could take the heat. Besides, he knew Steve wouldn't complain.

But then they went to look at the outdoor items, and that took a bit longer. Pepper and Ned thought that they might try cross country skiing – they weren't even going to consider downhill with all the trees that they saw in the photos of the mountain retreat – so they asked to see the skies, and then needed to be instructed in how to actually use them. They got sleds of all sorts; a long one for more than one person, round saucer shaped ones and even a couple of snow tubes that really looked like giant inner tubes that would simply need to be inflated before using, and came with an electric pump that would make that fast and easy.

Snowshoes took a while longer, because apparently they came in all different varieties. The salesman strapped a pair to Tony's shoes and he amused them all trying to figure out the technique for walking in them without tripping over his own feet. Which he _did_ a couple of times before he got the hang of it. Peter tried, next, and decide that it was awkward, but might be fun, and then the others all decided to try it, too, and all of them thought it could be something worth pursuing.

When the salesman found out that they were going to be in Montana, he pointed out a snow block mold, and suggested that kids might want to try building a snow fort or an igloo and explained that the mold might be the easiest and fastest way to do it. Tony shrugged and bought three – just in case. Then he looked at Pepper and the kids, expectantly.

"Can anyone else think of anything that they want to try?" he asked, expansively, gesturing toward the walls filled with various equipment. "Now is the time to bring it up – not when we're sitting in a front of a fireplace in the middle of nowhere."

None of them could. Besides, the kids were ready to be done shopping. It was fun, but it was also a bit overwhelming when they saw how much was actually needed for one little weekend – extended though it was going to be. No one in the store had even looked twice as they shopped, and only when they were done and he pulled out his credit card and allowed the clerk to see his ID did the man's eyes grow wide as he realized who he'd been helping all afternoon.

They arranged to have all the purchases delivered directly to the compound the next afternoon. Otherwise they would have needed to have brought a much larger car. Then Tony ushered his little group out of the store before the spectacle could begin now that he was known, and they went to find something to eat.

OOOOOOOO

"Thanks for coming," Peter told MJ as he walked her up to her apartment after they were finished with lunch and had delivered the girl back to her building.

"It was fun," she said, shrugging. "Thanks for inviting me to your birthday."

He smiled, awkwardly.

"You're welcome. You have the link so you can check out the house before we go, right?"

"Yeah. When are you coming back to school?" MJ asked, when they stopped outside her door.

"I've got to talk to Tony and Pepper about it, but I think when we get back from Montana."

Her expression was intent. In a way, she kind of reminded him of Dr. Strange in the way she seemed to be able to see a lot more than you really meant to show.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. I still get sad, sometimes," he admitted. "But I've had a lot of support."

"I like Pepper and Mr. Stark."

Peter smiled.

"So do I."

Her look was amused.

"Good thing. I'll see you Thursday."

"Yeah."

He hesitated, and then waved and made an awkward escape. MJ shook her head, and went inside.

OOOOOOOO

"Did she have a good time?" Pepper asked when Peter got back into the car and buckled himself in.

"Yeah. She said it was fun."

"It _was_ fun," Ned agreed.

"What do you guys want to do the rest of the day?" Tony asked. "I know movies tonight after dinner."

"Can we play in the pool?" Peter asked.

They were both competent swimmers, now, but that didn't mean that Tony was willing to allow them in the water without supervision – and the compound didn't have a full time lifeguard, since it wasn't a need that came up all that often. The people who did their lap swimming already had their own unwritten rule that no one was in the pool alone and no one really played in the water. When they wanted to socialize they tended to spend that time in the hot tub – and again, they weren't usually alone for that, either.

Stark looked over at Pepper, questioningly, and she nodded.

"That sounds fun."

And would keep the boys out of trouble. Which was always a consideration.


	154. Chapter 154

"Did you have a good time?"

Tony smiled at Pepper, leaning against the bathroom doorway and watching while she dried her hair after her shower.

"There are worse ways to spend an afternoon than in a pool."

"Like snowshoeing across _Montana_?"

He rolled his eyes.

"I'd still prefer a sandy beach and a cold drink, but the idea is growing on me, I have to admit."

"I think it's not the activity, but the person you're doing it with."

"You're probably right." He couldn't deny that, and she knew him well enough to know he wouldn't be telling the truth if he _did_. "How do we know when he's ready to go back to school?"

"Tired of having him underfoot all day?"

"The opposite, really," Tony admitted. "I love having him to myself during the day. I just wonder if I'm holding him back from moving on, wanting to keep him here instead of pushing him back into the swing of things. No pun intended."

Pepper walked over and put her arms around him, reminded yet again just how much Tony had changed from the narcissistic ass that he once had been. Years ago, he never would have cared about what someone else needed, only what he _wanted_.

"I think _Peter_ will let us know when he's ready," she told him, resting her cheek against his chest. "And I would say that you're helping him whether you want to or not – getting the Spiderman thing figured out with him."

He rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I just want him to be safe."

"I know."

"And happy."

"I'd say he _is_ ," she told him, sincerely. "Not because you just spent the day buying him things, but because he just spent the day with _you_."

"Think so?"

"Yes."

Stark smiled.

"I'm not going to push him to go back," he said. "As far as I'm concerned he can take the rest of the school year off and start fresh next year. He could keep up the way he has been."

"He won't do that, though," she told him, pulling away and smiling. "And you _know_ it."

"Yeah. I know."

A kid responsible and mature enough to be Spiderman, helping the little guy instead of taking advantage of those abilities to do whatever he wants, is hardly going to stay away from school that long.

"Just enjoy his company, Tony," she advised.

"I will. I _am_."

"Good. Now, let's go have dinner – and then we can try out the VR movie system with the boys. Unless you'd rather do something else?"

"And trust that Ned can't hack their system and find the porn option?" Tony asked, shaking his head. "No. I'm interested in seeing how the movies work with the VR, anyway."

"Good. So am I."

OOOOOOO

Peter and Ned were in the lounge. Natasha – who had been swimming with them but was now changed into casual evening clothes – was sitting with them, as was Stephen Strange, who had just arrived at the compound. He hadn't been there in time to swim with them, but his feelings weren't hurt by that. He much rather would stay dry, and knew that if he'd been there, Natasha would certainly have managed to convince him to join them. Not that he was above spending time with the boys – he thoroughly enjoyed the company of both of them – but he was a doctor, not a dolphin, so to speak.

The Cloak of Levitation was hanging over Peter's shoulder, crooning cheerfully in his mind, and Ned had taken Peter's phone from him and was showing the video from the broken up mugging to them. He didn't have the video on his own phone, and knew that for security reasons, he _shouldn't_ have it, but that didn't mean he wasn't eager to share it. He was excited that Peter was back to being Spiderman after the long break, and understood without really knowing it that it was a step forward for Peter to heal from the loss of May.

Strange was surprised that Tony had set Peter loose so quickly. Yes, they had everything in place for the boy – including things that he hadn't had before, like the safe house and the teleportation stone for instant access – but the doctor honestly expected that Stark would want to micromanage the first few excursions Peter made after being sidelined for so long, and it had clearly not been the case. Ironman was nowhere to be seen in the video, after all.

And obviously hadn't been _needed_.

"Well done, Peter," Natasha told him, smiling when Ned set the phone to replay Peter's scream over and over. "Steve's going to want to see that, you know? He'll study it, and then make suggestions."

"That's what Tony said," Peter said, trying to get his phone from Ned, who was holding it away from him so he couldn't stop the video. The woman screaming, and then Peter screaming. Again and again. "I think I did okay, but there's always room for improvement, like you always say."

"It's handy having Karen right there to call the police for you," Strange said. "But they weren't really going to be able to go anywhere, anyway, were they? Not with your webbing having them pinned."

"Yeah. The idea was to keep them from being able to hurt anyone by holding them still."

"And the _scream_?" he asked, with an amused smile. "To freeze them?"

"She startled me," Peter said, finally managing to get the phone away from Ned, just as Tony and Pepper walked into the lounge. "I wasn't expecting her to scream."

Stark smiled at Strange as he held a chair out for Pepper.

"Stephen. You missed the shopping trip."

"So I heard. Natasha will help me pick out everything I need later this week."

"Well don't get a _sled_ ," Pepper told him, well aware that he wouldn't. "We picked up enough for everyone – and then some."

"How many are going to be attending?" he asked, curiously.

"Is Wong coming?"

"I'm still trying to convince him. He's not enamored of the idea of leaving the sanctum for so long – and he doesn't like the cold, so when I mentioned I would stay and he could go, he wasn't enthusiastic of the plan."

"So probably not, then?" Peter asked.

"No. I wouldn't count on it."

Peter couldn't hide that he was disappointed, but he did understand.

"Seven, then," Pepper said. "Unless Steve decides to come. Then it will be eight."

"In seven bedrooms?" Strange said. "At least we won't have to use sleeping bags on the floor."

"No," Tony agreed. "We didn't really need such a big place, but it has everything that we wanted – and was available on short notice. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Sure. Thanks."

"After dinner we're going to try out the movie feature of the VR system that Pepper got," Ned told him. "You should stay for that. It's going to be awesome."

The doctor looked over at Natasha.

"Are you interested?"

She smiled.

"Yes."

"I'll make the popcorn," Stark offered.

"An offer I can't refuse."

"Good." Tony nodded his approval. "Let's eat."

He headed to the bar to order their dinner.

OOOOOOOO

"Okay, that was pretty cool."

"Coming from Ironman, that has to mean something," Natasha said.

It was much later, and they had just finished watching the VR version of Independence Day, which had been better than 3-D but somewhat similar in that they had actually felt like they were in the movie, fling during the air battles, and chasing aliens. The explosion had literally moved them in their seats, and they'd felt the pressure all around them.

It was almost uncomfortable for Peter, who felt each explosion and barrage of force almost inside his skin because of his sensitivities, but the others had all enjoyed it. Even Strange.

"I mean it," Tony said. He looked at Pepper. "You're going to approve the merger, right? I want to be able to do this again."

"Yes. it's definitely looking promising."

They'd decided that since so many of them were watching the movie it would be better to watch it in Stark's living room where there was more room. Now it was late, since the VR aspect made the movie run a lot longer than the theatrical release time, and Tony was ready to start shooing the boys off to bed.

"Good." He looked at Peter and Ned. "Did you enjoy it?"

They both nodded.

"The ratio slipped a little, though, in the tunnel explosion," Ned mentioned. "You noticed that, right?"

"Of course."

Peter smiled. He hadn't noticed, but he wasn't surprised that Ned had.

"I'm going to bed," he told them.

He'd been up late the night before, and was ready for sleep.

"Be in the garage by 11:00," Tony told him - and Ned. "So we can go to brunch."

"Okay."

"And no Spiderman tonight, alright? You look _tired_."

"Yeah."

The cloak transferred back to Strange and the boys left.

"Are you coming to brunch tomorrow, Stephen?" Pepper asked.

"Yes, unless something comes up. Thank you." He was getting used to having Sunday brunch with them - and with Natasha, especially. "I'm going to head out."

"I'll walk you out," Romanoff said, getting up as well. "Goodnight."

They watched as the room emptied, and Stark leaned back into the sofa cushion behind him, and put his arms around her.

"The video games are more interactive," he told Pepper. "But it was a good way to spend an evening."

"It'll be interesting to see how the romances work in the VR."

"Something we might not really want to watch with Peter and Ned..."

"Probably something that they wouldn't want to watch with _us_."

"True."


	155. Chapter 155

They didn't go to bed right away. Peter ended up pulling his homework out to take a look at it – just in case he had anything in the pile that he didn't understand, so he could ask Ned before he left after brunch the next day. Not the math. If he needed help with that, he knew he could ask Tony. But to make sure that he understood what each teacher was asking for with each assignment to ensure that he completed it correctly.

They stayed up late working on each subject. Some were fairly cut and dried – Peter then asked Karen the etymology of the phrase _cut and dried_ which started a different tangent completely – and others were a bit more complicated. There were no essays for English, and nothing more than another book that had short stories in it. And they only needed to choose one that they had to read.

"Watch out, though," Ned warned him as he stacked all of the completed work back into a pile after checking through it for him. "She's talking about pilgrimages and the _Canterbury Tales_. It's coming, Dude, and it's written in Old English. A guy who had her last year told me they had to _memorize_ some of the book _in_ Old English, too."

"I have enough trouble with _new_ English," Peter told him, shaking his head and hoping that Ned was wrong.

"Yeah, me too."

They eventually _did_ go to bed, of course. Both made sure not to coax the other into playing video games, well aware that they would never get to bed if they did get started – and they were both too tired to stay up _all_ night.

OOOOOOO

The next morning Peter woke early, despite having gone to bed so late, and was relieved that he woke up in his own bed with no sign that he'd been anywhere in the night. The teleporting stone was still on the nightstand by his bed where it had been the night before, and there was no indication that he had been out of bed. He checked his watch, realized it was even earlier than he thought – around 6am – and debated silently with himself the pros and cons of getting up or going back to sleep.

Eventually, he sighed and got out of bed, too awake to go back to sleep. He changed into clean jeans and a sweatshirt before heading silently out into the living room. Ned was still asleep, but Peter was ready to get up, and decided the easiest way to keep from waking his friend was to not be in his quarters.

"Karen? Will you let Ned know I went to the lounge when he gets up?"

" _Of course."_

"Thanks."

Peter left and went to the lounge, but wasn't surprised to find it was empty aside from the weekend morning bartender/kitchen person and the assistant that helped prep the food for the day's menu. He said hello and accepted a bottle of orange juice with a smile of thanks before carrying it over to the corner table. With no one there, he felt stupid for not bringing one of the books he needed to read – either he could have finished the play, or started on one of the short stories while waiting for someone to wake up and maybe come to the lounge.

He briefly thought of trying to tap that willingness that the Mind stone seemed to have when it came to helping him summon things he wanted, but he decided that that was simply laziness. If he wanted one of the books that badly, he could get up and go back to his quarters and get it. He didn't want one that badly, though. Instead, he pulled out the chess set and brought it over to the table and set up the pieces to play by himself and wile away the time.

The boy had barely started when he felt a tingle of warning, and looked up from the white side's next move to see Tony Stark enter the lounge. He watched as Tony looked his direction, but headed to the bar, first, greeting the bartender before pouring himself a cup of coffee and taking an appreciative sip. Then he topped off the coffee mug and carried it over to the table, where he stood behind Peter and looked over his shoulder for a moment before wrapping his free arm around him and pulling him back to press a kiss against the top of his head.

"Are you _sleepwalking_?"

Peter shook his head.

"No. But I don't know that I would recognize it if I _was_ …"

"What's the capitol of Wisconsin?"

"Madison."

"You're not sleepwalking, then."

Peter frowned and turned his head to look up at him.

"How do you know _that_?"

"Because if you were sleepwalking, you'd have answered with something off the wall – like Santa Claus, or badminton."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Is that why you guys always ask me stuff like that when I see you at night?"

"Of course." Tony sat down in the chair next to Peter's. "I already know the capitol of Wisconsin. I don't really need to ask you."

"Huh."

That was interesting.

"You always look so lonely when I see you playing chess alone," Stark told him.

"I'm not," Peter assured him. "I just didn't want to wake up Ned, and didn't want to go back to get a book or some homework to work on to kill time."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah. I slept. I just woke up early, is all."

"In _your_ bed?"

Peter smiled.

"Yeah."

"Good." He took another sip of coffee, and Peter moved the white pawn from in front of the king. "Since I have you by yourself…"

Peter looked up at him.

"Yeah?"

"Should we move the safe house to a different neighborhood? Would it hurt less?"

"It would probably hurt less to be in a different neighborhood, yeah," Peter said after a moment's hesitation. "But it's not necessary."

"You're _sure_? It wouldn't be that hard to do."

"That's my neighborhood," Peter reminded him. "It's where I'm most comfortable – even if it _does_ hurt to see all the familiar places. It's where the people that I'm supposed to be looking out for live. I can't _help_ them if I'm somewhere else."

"But I don't want it to hurt you."

"I know. Thank you for that."

"But…?"

"But I can't hide from it. I mean, I _can_. And I have been – and still _am_ , a little." He realized that he wasn't doing a very good job of explaining himself. Luckily, Tony wasn't being impatient, and was clearly willing to give him time to gather his thoughts. "What I mean is, I can't run away from the place just because it makes me ache to be there. If I did, then what about the people there? Like that woman the other night?"

"She's not your responsibility, Peter."

"Of course she is, Tony. If I know something is going to happen, but I say to myself ' _don't go because you'll end up crying yourself to sleep later'_ , and then I don't go, and she gets hurt – or _worse_ – then it is my fault that she got hurt. That makes her my responsibility."

"You can't save everyone."

"I know. I mean, I'm learning that. But there are some that I _can_ save – and I have the ability to save them. And I _will_. Even if I _do_ cry myself to sleep later because of it."

It was similar to the conversation that they'd had the first time that Peter met Tony – well, not including the expo where Ironman had saved his life – and it was obvious to Tony that Peter still believed it. Maybe even more strongly, now that he was spending time with the Avengers. His sense of right and wrong was well and truly being refined. Probably by all the nobility certain Avengers gave off like pheromones.

"I need to keep you away from Steve…" Stark muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing, Peter. I'm just being crotchety. So you want us to keep you where you are, then?"

"Yes. Please."

"Okay." He shook his head, and reached out and slapped his cheek, lightly, lovingly. "You're a _good_ guy, Peter Parker."

The boy blushed, and looked down at the board in front of him.

"Thanks."

"Can I play with you? Or are you determined to look lonesome?"

That made Peter smile, and he shook his head.

"Sure. I can start over."

"Set them up, then. We'll make it interesting."

They hadn't bet on a game of chess in a long time, after all, and Tony was much better at it than he had been.


	156. Chapter 156

Pepper found them at the same table an hour later. She smiled at the intense concentration that she could see, not only in Tony's expression as he watched Peter making his next move, but in how taut his entire body was, as if only his skin was keeping him from combusting right then and there.

"Who's winning?" she asked, standing behind Peter and wrapping her arms around the boy.

"It's not who's winning _now_ ," Tony told her, only glancing up at her briefly before turning back to the board. "It's who gets to say checkmate."

She frowned, realizing that he was far too tense.

"Tell me you're not _betting_ on the outcome…?"

Peter snorted, and she could hear the amusement, even though she couldn't see his expression from behind.

"It was his idea," he told her. "I was minding my own business…"

"Has he lost, already?"

"This is our third match."

"And you won the other two?"

"Yeah."

"I think he hustled me," Tony told her as Peter moved his black queen in front of a white bishop.

"Check."

Pepper let the boy go and sat down in a chair between the two of them.

"What did you win?" she asked Peter.

"So far? I get to choose what we have for lunch all week, and he owes me three hours as my own personal assistant – doing anything I tell him he has to do."

"That isn't so bad." It was better than the _Quinjet,_ after all. Clearly Tony could be taught. "What are you playing for this time?"

"Loser plays kitchen helper for Deena tomorrow."

That was a bit more serious, she decided with a smile. Which was why Tony looked so tense.

"Doing dishes and everything?"

"Yep." Peter smiled again. "I _told_ him we didn't have to bet. He called me a _chicken_."

Stark made his move, pulling his king to the side, and looked up.

"He was hustling me."

"So you've said," she said, amused.

Peter moved his rook and trapped the king.

"Checkmate."

"Damn it."

Peter smiled, well aware that Tony was annoyed to have lost, but wasn't angry by any means.

"You have to call her ' _ma'am_ ', don't forget."

"I won't."

"So he has to do dishes, and what else?"

"I peeled apples for her," Peter said. "There are probably all kinds of things she has that will need done. It's up to her."

Stark scowled and leaned back in his chair, looking at Pepper.

"Where were you?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's _your_ job to make sure I don't make stupid decisions anymore, remember? I could have used you half an hour ago."

She smiled, getting up from the chair enough to lean over and kiss him.

"If you ask nicely, Peter will probably keep you company in the kitchen."

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "I wouldn't mind. Deena's nice. I could help her tell you what to do."

Which didn't make Stark feel any better, obviously.

Pepper sat back down, and looked at Peter.

"Where's Ned?"

"Still sleeping. Karen said she'd tell him where I am when he gets up. I didn't want to wake him up."

"It's still early. Did _you_ sleep alright?"

"Yes, thanks."

"I'm done losing at chess for the moment," Tony said to both of them. "Let's play something Peter _isn't_ good at, okay?"

The boy wasn't the only one to smile at that. He offered to get Pepper a cup of coffee and refill Tony's and went to the bar.

"Did he sleepwalk?" Pepper asked.

"It doesn't look like it. Did you get everything set up?"

"Yes. They'll be waiting for us around 3:30."

Peter returned, and they changed the subject to the VR movie from the night before and switched games to Scrabble. It wasn't necessarily something Peter was bad at, but it was something that they all had an equal chance of winning.

OOOOOOOO

By the time they were supposed to meet in the garage for the drive to the restaurant, everyone was in the lounge. Ned had joined them, feeling smug at having interacted with Karen – even if it had just been to find Peter – and Stephen had joined them even earlier than Ned, in time to have coffee and play a game of Scrabble. When Natasha walked in, looking like she hadn't been up long, they all headed for the garage.

Happy drove them in the limousine since there were too many of them for a single car, and brunch was a fairly cheerful affair. They were in the private room as usual, and the upcoming Montana trip dominated the conversation. Even Dr. Strange was looking almost resigned to spending the weekend in a cabin in the woods, and Peter decided that Natasha or Pepper must have shown him a link to the property so he could see that it wasn't going to be the rundown place he had probably envisioned when the trip had first come up.

Peter and Ned ate far more than was probably good for them, but Peter was hungry, and Ned was determined to match him trip for trip when it came to returning to the buffet. They were also discussing the homework that they'd gone through, and Ned was almost scandalized when he found out that tony Stark had to be a scullery maid to the bartender the next day – and that it was Peter's fault.

"He _wanted_ to bet, Ned," Peter explained – again – as they picked out pieces of pie. "I was fine with just playing. He'll be fine."

"Ironman can't do the dishes."

" _Pepper_ says he can – if that's what Deena wants him to do. He'll probably get off easy, though. Just wiping the bar, making drinks – things like that."

"But-"

"I peeled apples."

"You're not _Ironman_."

"True."

He was _Spiderman_. But he didn't mention that. Not out in public like they were. And certainly not with people actually paying attention to them. Which some were.

While they were finishing up, Tony received a call from Steve advising that the outdoor store had delivered all of their purchases from the shopping the day before. They had intended to drop Stephen and Natasha at the compound and switch to a smaller vehicle to take Ned back to the city, and the arrival of the new items didn't really change that plan. There would be time the night before they left for everything to be handed out. That way bags weren't going to be crammed with winter clothes that couldn't be used until they reached Montana in the first place.

When Happy pulled into the garage at the compound after brunch, tony sent Ned and Peter to get all of his things, which had already been packed and were waiting.

"Let's take the Pontiac, Peter," he suggested once the boys returned. "You need to make sure it doesn't sit idle too long at a time."

It didn't take much to convince Peter, and Ned was always excited to ride in it. He might have preferred the Lamborghini, but the Pontiac was a sweet ride, and both boys knew it. The boys got in the back, despite Pepper's willingness to relinquish the front seat to Peter since it was his car, after all. He didn't mind being in the back, and he secretly liked the fact that Pepper and tony tended to hold hands when they were driving. He knew that they couldn't do that if she was in the back seat.

"I'll pick you up Thursday evening," she reminded Ned when they pulled up to his building an hour or so later. "Let me know if anything happens to change the plan."

"I will. Thanks for the great weekend."

They waved, and Ned headed into his building.

"Did he have a good time?" Tony asked Ned as they pulled out into traffic.

"He _always_ has a good time," Peter pointed out. "He likes you guys."

Pepper wasn't the only one to smile at that.

"Good thing we like him, too, then."

They were silent as they drove out of the city, but Peter frowned when Stark turned on to a different highway than the one that led to the compound.

"Where are we going?" he asked, curiously.

"We need to make a side trip," Tony told him, catching his reflection in the rearview mirror. "There's someone I want you to meet."

"Oh? Who?"

"You'll see."

Peter rolled his eyes, only a little annoyed and more amused than anything, because he knew how much Tony liked doing surprises. Even when it was something little. Rather than nag or try and wheedle their destination from him – or from Pepper, who was also smiling – he decided to be patient and just see where they ended up. It was a nice day for a drive. He didn't mind.

A little over 40 minutes later, they pulled into a long driveway, with an archway that read _Lee Ranch_ and white slate fencing all along both sides of the driveway. A few horses watched the car curiously as they drove along, and several cows were grazing the late fall wispy grasses. They weren't interested in who was coming to visit, at all and never looked up.

The Pontiac pulled to a stop in front of a handsome farmhouse that was dominated by a huge front porch and a few steps that led up to it from the driveway. There was a flagpole to one side, displaying an American flag and underneath it a flag with a Marine Corp symbol, and on the other side of the driveway a small wishing well with a birdfeeder. Several trees surrounded the rear of the house and Peter saw a barn just behind and to the right.

The door opened as they pulled up, and a man walked out, smiling as he crossed the porch and went down the steps two at a time. A woman came out behind him, followed by a large, long-legged blonde dog which ambled over, barking cheerfully at the newcomers. The man reached the Pontiac just as Tony turned the car off and waited for him to open the door, which gave the woman time to catch up.

The man was maybe Tony's age, tall, large, but not fat, and blonde, with a crewcut. Peter had seen enough military guys by now to not even need the hint that the flag gave him to know that if he wasn't in the military, he once had been. He just stood too straight and tall for there to be any other explanation. He held his hand out to Tony, smiling at him, but looking toward Peter in the back seat.

"Mr. Stark, it's good to meet you, sir."

"Call me Tony, please."

Stark shook the man's hand as Pepper opened her door and walked around the car, also smiling. Tony turned toward the back seat.

"Peter? Come on out."

Peter opened the door, and the blonde dog was suddenly all over him; sniffing him and making waffling noises as it stuck its nose into first his crotch, and then against his sweatshirt, leaving a damp smear against the boy's chest. Peter grinned, thinking that it was almost a canine version of Stephen Strange's cloak, and he pet the dog cheerfully, amazed at how silky its long hair was. He was glad he wasn't the one responsible for brushing him.

"Spot! Get out of there, you big lug."

Peter looked at the dog, confused. He didn't see a single spot on the silky coat. What kind of weirdo named a blonde dog Spot? Then he realized that he did know someone who had – at least, he'd _known_ someone who had.

It had to be a coincidence, though.

As he struggled with that, the man had moved to the back door of the car and pulled the dog back by its collar. Then he looked down at the boy, who managed to get out of the car and close the door behind him. Tony walked over to stand beside Peter, a bolstering support – just in case he was needed.

"You look just like your dad," the man said, surprising Peter when his eyes filled with tears and he brushed them away, impatiently. "My name is Jack Lee, Peter. You probably don't remember me, but I _definitely_ remember you."


	157. Chapter 157

"I don't understand," Peter said, looking down at the dog and remembering the images that the Mind stone had given him.

Images of a blonde dog with silky long hair. The dog in front of him was older, his light face graying around the jowls and his eyes, but there was every reason to believe it was the same one. How many golden colored Irish Setters could there be named _Spot_?

"Come inside," Mr. Lee invited. "I'll explain."

Peter looked over at Tony, who smiled and nodded, encouragingly.

"Okay."

Before he turned, though, Jack Lee ran a hand along the roof of the Pontiac.

"It's beautiful. Just like I remember it being." He gestured to the woman, obviously unwilling to leave her out of the conversation or the introductions. "This is my wife, Gina."

She smiled a hello to Peter, but had clearly already spoken to Tony and Pepper, since the boy got the impression that they were more familiar with her than he was.

Jack Lee turned, then, and led the group up the stairs and across the porch. Spot stayed right beside Peter, the dog bumping his hand and clearly wanting to be petted, which Peter did willingly. Jack held the door open for everyone, and his wife ushered them all inside the living room, which was a fairly large room, dominated by a large leather sofa and a couple of lazy-boy recliners on either side. There was a large flat screen TV above a fireplace, and several pictures on the mantel that showed Jack and his wife, and three children who were clearly theirs.

"Can I get anyone a drink?" Gina asked, smiling and gesturing for them to take the sofa. She pointed out a tray sitting on their coffee table that held several different kinds of cookies and pastries. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please," Tony said, as he settled on one side of Peter, and Pepper took the other.

Pepper nodded her agreement.

"Please."

"Peter?"

"No. Thank you."

She left, and Spot took a place between Peter's knees, forcing his attentions on the boy. Peter smiled down at him, and tried as hard as he could to remember everything he could about the dog that his family had once had.

There was a sudden flash of memory, and he saw himself on the ground, his body braced against a telephone pole and a leash pulling his arm, his wrist hanging at an impossible angle as the big dog strained to break free of the leash to chase the squirrel. It wasn't _his_ memory, so he didn't remember the pain, but could see the agony on his face as he struggled to free himself.

"He broke my wrist," Peter said, softly, not looking up from the dog. "I hit a telephone pole trying to walk him."

"You hit it _head first_ ," Jack Lee told him, taking a seat in the recliner nearest Peter. "Frightened your dad, and made up for your mom dropping you on your head when you were a baby."

"How do you know that?"

"He wrote to me and told me."

"You knew him?"

"Yeah. We met in college. Roommates. Back then you didn't choose roommates, they were assigned and there was no trading around. I hated him, and he didn't think much of me, either. I was JROTC, _Semper Fi_ all the way to my ears, and planning to be the next Eisenhower. He was in the stage where he was trying to do anything _but_ be like his father – who was in the Marine Corp during World War II, in case you didn't know."

"I have his lighter," Peter said.

"That's fitting. He was a good man. Your grandpa, I mean. Your _dad_ was, too, but it took me a while to decide that. I liked his dad immediately. Before I even met him."

"But you liked my dad later?"

"I loved him. Almost like a brother. We were stuck being roommates – couldn't get out of it, and jammed together in almost all the same classes. He was an egghead, and brilliant, and I never would have passed most of my classes if not for the fact that he eventually felt sorry for me and tutored me."

"Why haven't I heard of you?"

"Because I graduated and joined the Marines, and went overseas, and he graduated and got married. You didn't come along right away, but man they _wanted_ you. I was stationed overseas, but I came home for the wedding, and then came home for the funeral. We'd drifted apart by then, like people do, sometimes, but I couldn't stay away – even though I had to pull a lot of strings to go. By then I had enough rank to manage it, though."

"Oh."

"I guess I thought I'd rush over and take you in, but you had May, and by then I had a wife and three kids who were half grown. They needed me and you didn't. Besides, your parents' wills made it clear who they wanted to have raise you if something ever happened, and there was no contesting that. So instead of _you_ , I took Spot and Turtle back to Australia with me, since you guys didn't have room for a big dog and May was allergic to cats."

"Turtle?"

"That was your mom's cat. The one who always got the extra vote when a tiebreaker was needed in the house."

Peter smiled at that, and they all looked up when Gina reappeared with coffee for four, and a bottle of cola for Peter.

"When I had my years in and retired, we moved out here. I thought about looking you up, checking on you and all, but every time I did, something would seem to come up. A kid was sick, or someone was graduating, or needed something. I never got around to it. I'm sorry for that."

Peter shrugged, still holding onto Spot's head, running his fingers through his silky fur and caressing his velvet ears. By now the dog had rested his head on Peter's leg, showing no sign of getting bored with the attention. Peter wondered if there was any chance he remembered him, but decided that he just liked being petted. Or maybe he smelled Jack.

"It's okay." He looked over at Tony. "How did you know about him?"

"I didn't," Stark admitted. "I was looking for the _dog_. I accessed every veterinarian record I could, looking for a dog named Spot that didn't have any spots. It took a bit. Finding out that he belonged to someone who actually knew your dad was just a bonus."

"Do you still have Turtle, too?"

Jack shook his head.

"She was fairly older than Spot, here, and as you probably can figure, he's fifteen. We have a couple of her grandkids running around the farm, but she didn't live to move out here with us."

"I don't know what to say," Peter said, honestly. "This is amazing."

"We thought you might like to meet," Tony told him. "Maybe help you to understand that there are still connections out there for you to make, even with all that has happened."

"I'm just glad to meet you again," Jack said to Peter. "And I have something that belongs to you – that I promised myself you'd get if I ever followed up on looking you up."

He got up and Spot followed him out of the room, leaving Peter to sit between Pepper and Tony. Stark put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, and Gina handed Pepper a large manila envelope.

"Jack went through his old photos. These are reprints of the ones that he had of Peter's father – and I believe there is one of your grandfather, too," she added, looking at him.

"Thank you."

Before they could say anything else, Lee returned.

"You got your mom and dad's wedding rings, right?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Here's a couple of more to add to your collection. Not that you'll wear them, but they'll be something you might want to pass on to your kids someday. They represent where you came from." He handed Peter two rings. Both of them were men's and both fairly ornate. They reminded Peter of the class rings that the seniors in his school wore. "Your dad's class ring from college, and your granddad's West Point ring."

"He went to West Point?"

"Oh, yes. You come from a legacy of military men, Peter." He smiled at Tony. "It's fitting that you're with the Avengers, really. Your dad would be proud – he was always proud of you – but your _granddad_ is probably bursting at the seams, waiting to see what you become."

Peter looked down at the rings.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome.

They talked a while longer. Peter asked Jack about himself, and as most military men do, he had a million war stories that he'd one day sit on the front porch and tell his grandchildren. Spot rejoined Peter, looking for attention, and by the time the tray of snacks were gone (mostly thanks to Peter and Spot) and the coffee was finished, he knew a lot more about where he'd come from, and what his dad had been like before he'd met Peter's mother. And Jack knew a lot more about the two who were now raising Peter – beyond what anyone could read in the newspapers and see on TV.

Eventually, though, it was time to call it a day, and they all got up, stretching after spending so long sitting around.

"Have you driven your dad's car?" Jack asked as they walked out to the Pontiac.

"Yes. I don't have my license, yet, though."

"Well, don't let it sit around. Your dad wouldn't approve."

"I won't."

Peter hugged Gina, who also hugged Pepper and Tony, and Jack hesitated when the boy knelt down to say goodbye to Spot.

"You _could_ have him, you know?" Jack told him. "Technically, he's your dog, after all."

The boy smiled, and ran his fingers along the soft ears as the dog licked his face.

"No. He's yours. This is where he's comfortable and you're his family. I can be the uncle who comes and spoils him every now and then. If that's okay…?"

"You're welcome here, any time. Pepper has our number."

Jack shook his hand, but couldn't resist hugging him, too, and he smiled at Tony when he let Peter go.

"Take care of him, okay?"

"I will."

They shook hands, and with a final pat to Spot, Peter got into the Pontiac and waved goodbye. Tony honked the horn and Jack held Spot's collar to keep him away from the car as they pulled away from the house and headed back down the long driveway.

"He seems like a nice guy," Tony said, looking at Peter's reflection as they drove past the bored cows.

"Yeah." He smiled at the man in the mirror, the one he could technically call dad, if he wanted to. "Thanks. This was great."

"You're welcome." Pleased that it had gone so well, Tony was magnanimous. "Pepper _helped_. And Friday. Friday did most of the searching through records, Pepper made the contact once we found them."

"So I get 12% of the credit," Pepper told him, looking back at him.

The comment made Tony smile, and Peter had a feeling that they were sharing an inside joke. He didn't mind not understanding the punchline. He smiled, too. He leaned back into the seat, and watched the two in the seat in front of him, and then looked down at the two rings that he was holding.

They were a representation of his past. Of where he had come from, like Jack had said. He tried them both on, but neither fit, of course. He then looked back toward the front seat, at Pepper, first, and then his gaze lingered on Tony's reflection once more and he smiled, again, when Tony shifted his gaze from the road to him, checking on him like he always seemed to be doing. Maybe a little overprotective, which would eventually feel stifling, at times, but doing his best to make sure Peter understood – and believed – that he loved him.

The rings were his past, but _this_ was his future.

May had left him, and he felt the pang of sorrow that he knew he would always feel to some extent when he thought of her, but she _had_ chosen well. Peter put the rings in his pocket and closed his eyes, listening to Tony and Pepper discussing the evening plans and allowing the vibration of the car's engine, and the voices of the two he loved most lull him to sleep as they drove him home.


	158. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

"I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it for myself."

Tony and Peter both looked over at the kitchen door, and saw Stephen Strange standing at the entrance, leaning casually against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest and an amused smile on his face. He was dressed impeccably as always, with a sharp suit and a tie, but he was far more relaxed than he might have been even a year ago.

Stark scowled.

"What do _you_ want?"

"A video camera, to start. Otherwise no one else would believe me."

Peter chuckled and held up his cell phone for Strange to see. The unspoken message being that he had plenty of pictures to prove what they were watching. Tony scowled at him, too.

"Aren't you supposed to be _helping_ me?"

"I'm _supervising_ ," the boy assured him.

Stark was standing at the large kitchen sink, a tray filled with dirty dishes in front of him and an industrial sprayer in his hand. He was rinsing the plates and glasses to get them ready to be sent into the dishwasher connected to the sink, and had clearly been there for a while. He was wearing jeans, a t-shirt and shoes, and he had a rubber apron tied on, covering most of the front of him, but he was soaked despite the protection, and water was running off the apron, down to his pant leg and into his shoes.

Peter was sitting on one of the aluminum kitchen tables next to the door, eating a banana and watching. He had been there long enough that his butt was numb, but he was thoroughly enjoying himself. And the company he was keeping.

Strange's smile grew.

"I hear there are potatoes to peel," he told Stark.

"No, there aren't," Tony told him.

He _knew_. He'd already peeled a million of them under Peter's watchful eye before he'd switched over to doing the dishes.

"I could _make_ you some."

Peter snickered, and suddenly Stark lost control of his sprayer, and first Strange, and then Peter, were suddenly soaked as a jet of water splashed them before either could react and do more than turn a little or raise an arm to fend off the assaulting spray of water. Peter shoved the rest of the banana into his mouth and tossing the peel into the garbage next to the table he was sitting on and he and Strange both decided to make a hasty retreat from the kitchen.

Still smiling, despite being wet, they left the kitchen, moved into the lounge, and went over to the table in the corner, where Natasha was sitting, sharpening a handful of throwing knives.

"Are you annoying the kitchen boy?" she asked, unnecessarily.

"Would we do that?" Stephen asked her, clearly in a good mood.

Any chance he had to annoy Tony always cheered him up.

Peter wrapped his arms around her, pressing his wet clothing against her side, and brushing his wet hair against her cheek. To his surprise – and _hers_ – Strange did the same thing on the other side, more than willing to give her back some of the treatment that she'd given him in the past. She yelped, but didn't bother to try and escape, well aware that she probably deserved it. At least from Stephen.

She'd get even eventually.

"He's almost done," Peter told her, sitting down at the table, pleased with himself.

Strange sat down, as well, and a thought all it took for him to change into a dry suit.

"Are _you_ about finished?" he asked her.

"Yes. Just waiting on you." She looked at Peter. "Would you mind putting these in my room for me?"

He nodded, and she handed him the knives that were gleaming and razor sharp.

"Where are you guys going?"

"Shopping for cold weather clothes," Strange told him. "Want to come?"

"I _would_ , but when Tony's done we're going to go driving."

His birthday was coming and he and Tony both wanted to make sure that he passed his test on the first try. Which meant practicing.

"We'll see you later, then," Natasha told him, getting up and brushing her fingers against his cheek. "Drive safe."

He smiled.

"You, too."

They left, and Peter ran his hand along one of blades that she had handed him, admiring the fine edge and the balance to the weapon. He wasn't a big fan of weapons, but he knew a good one when he saw it. A water droplet fell from his hair onto the blade, and he wiped it off on a dry spot on his shirt before setting the blade down with the others.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked, coming out of the kitchen just in time to see Peter with a handful of knives that he was sure he'd cut himself with.

"Waiting for you."

Stark had lost the apron and he was definitely drenched from dishwasher duty.

"Deena has released me from my drudgery," Tony told him. "Let me go change and we'll be ready for an extended drive."

"Okay. I'm going to take Natasha's knives to her room."

"Meet me in the garage."

OOOOOOO

"Be cool."

"I _am_."

"Let me do the talking."

"Okay."

"Roll down the window, Peter."

"Sorry."

He rolled the window down just as the state patrol trooper walked up to it. Peter recognized him immediately.

"Do you know how fast you were going, son?" the officer asked him.

Peter shook his head.

"Sixty-five?"

" _Yes_." He smiled. "Good job."

Peter grinned.

"Thanks."

"When do you take your test?"

"Thursday morning."

"Good luck."

"Thank you."

The officer leaned down enough to wave to Stark and then left them, and Peter looked over at Tony, his expression triumphant. Stark rolled his eyes, amused, and slapped Peter's shoulder.

"Don't let it go to your head. You still have to get us home in one piece."

"No problem."

He smiled, though. He tended to smile every time anyone referred to the Avenger facility as home with him. Or when he thought of it and used that word. There were worse places to live, but no better people to live with.

Peter started the Lamborghini and put it into gear, double checked for traffic coming up beside him and waved to the police officer as he pulled back out onto the highway and turned back to the compound – ignoring the fact that Tony still occasionally clutched the dash and stamped the imaginary brake pedal.

The End

OOOOOOO

 _A/N: So, done with the sad and angst. Like I said, I want the Montana trip to be separate story, certainly more lighthearted, and I think we've got Peter taken care of and settled a bit. I enjoyed writing it, hope it was a good read. Thanks for taking the journey with me._


End file.
